For the past two years, Axelsen has been hampered to a great extent by a serious back injury, which has caused severe nerve pain in the left leg. Therefore, it is no longer physically possible to continue playing badminton.
"The hardest thing is that I actually still have plenty of motivation, desire, and joy to play. However, due to my back problems, my body simply does not allow me to do what I need to do to be at the level that is required."
"That is why I say that it is not me who has made the decision. It's my body that has sort of made it for me, unfortunately. It's the hardest thing about saying goodbye to it all, because it's hard not being able to make the decision yourself", says Axelsen to TV2 Sport.
Viktor Axelsen is one of badminton's most decorated players, having won back-to-back Olympic gold medals (2020, 2024), two World Championships (2017, 2022), and numerous Super 1000 tournaments, making him the first player to complete a "Super 1000 Slam" in a calendar year. He is a multiple BWF World Tour Finals winner and a former World No. 1.