Source: REUTERS/Issei Kato
[Saba Sports News] The 2025 Indonesian Open, a Super 1000 tournament known as the “Oscars of Badminton,” with a prize fund of $1.45 million, has attracted top players from around the world. What’s puzzling is that Viktor Axelsen, one of the top male singles players, is absent from this sporting event. Recently, Danish media wrote an article analyzing the reasons for Axelsen’s absence; it is purely due to a minor issue with his health. After all, Axelsen adjusted his condition after last year’s World Championships. At the same time, Danish media also speculated that Axelsen might have realized that he was gradually falling behind in this “international tug-of-war” and chose to temporarily withdraw to secretly adjust his “arsenal.” Because fans captured a video showing Axelsen mysteriously appearing at a private training base, this suggests that he hasn’t completely withdrawn from the world of badminton but is secretly preparing for a “comeback drama.” With Axelsen, the defending champion, absent, the Indonesian Open seems to have become a section without him. Media have also shifted their focus, analyzing who might emerge as the new dominant force in the tournament and who could possibly cause an upset.