Badminton superstar Viktor Axelsen is back.
After undergoing endoscopic surgery in April to repair a disc herniation, the two-time Olympic champion from Denmark lost 21-15, 21-7 to Japan’s Naraoka Kodai in the first round of the Hong Kong Open 2025 on Wednesday (10 September).
It was all over in just 37 minutes.
Axelsen skipped last month’s BWF World Championships in Paris to dedicate more time to his rehab.
“While it’s tough to miss such a big event, I’m not discouraged. On the contrary, I’m highly motivated to keep pushing forward with my rehab and set myself a new goal to come back stronger,” posted the two-time world champion on Instagram.
Axelsen’s preparations for the Hong Kong Open als did not go according to plan as the 31-year-old was hampered by fever last week.
“It was nice to get out there again but I wish I enjoyed it more,” said Axelsen to the BWF. “There’s been a lot of unfortunate events – getting sick last week, not being able to practise and still trying to push through.
“I set very high standards for myself so performing at what I’d consider a relatively low level is hard to accept. It is what it is – this is part of an athlete’s journey.”
The star shuttler is expected to be back in action next week at the China Masters.
