On the eve of his first match, Tuesday, at the French Open (March 5 to 10), Viktor Axelsen (30 years old) received us in a room in his Parisian hotel. Relaxed and dressed in a black and white jersey resembling that of Stade Rennais, the reigning Olympic champion and world number 1 spoke about his ambitions for Paris 2024, his life in Dubai, his desire to grow his sport and to help new practitioners through videos that he publishes on social networks.
“How do you view the French internationals, one of the last rehearsals before the Paris Olympic Games?
Like all other competitions, with the desire to do my best. It will be a good way to test the Arena de la Porte de La Chapelle, where the Games will take place (July 27-August 5 for badminton), to get an idea of the room. Having previous experience will obviously be a plus. I can’t wait to get started and hope to go far.
Further than last year (he gave up in the first set of his first round)?
Quite. I didn’t really play last year, did I? (Laughs.)
You are going to play at the Adidas Arena at Porte de La Chapelle, which you do not know. A modular basketball hall where the Games will take place. Does this change anything for you?
No, that doesn’t change much. The Arena, as a whole, seems perfectly suited for badminton. I’ve never trained there and I’ve never played there before, but I had a really good impression when I went there. I do not worry. I think that in terms of lighting, logistics, everything will be very well thought out.
“There, few people know who I am, so I am calmer on a daily basis than in Denmark”
About his installation in Dubai
This summer, in Paris, you will put your title back on the line. What feeling does that give you?
I wouldn’t say I’m putting it back into play because I will still be the Olympic title holder from the Tokyo Games (in 2021). But this will be an opportunity to win a new one. And it’s this perspective that makes me impatient, because few players stay at the top level for years in this discipline. I am very proud and very happy to be where I am today. I am confident and happy to have the opportunity to achieve a great performance at the Paris Games.
In February, you did not take part in the European Team Championships which Denmark won (beating France in the final). Was it to focus on your Olympic preparation?
Indeed. In recent months, I have been injured in a foot and I have only been able to re-train intensively and establish a real Olympic preparation program recently, so I skipped this tournament to perfect my preparation for the Games, which is the biggest deadline to come.
A few years ago, you made the decision to leave Denmark for Dubai, which is not a badminton country. For what reasons ?
I had the opportunity to play at the Nas Sport Complex (a large sports complex with state-of-the-art equipment), which for me is one of the best sports complexes in existence. I have everything I need available, incredible support and quality equipment. It also allows me to spend more time with my family because the United Arab Emirates is closer to Asia than Denmark, which has allowed me to reduce my travel time to get to competition venues. It also allowed me to give new impetus to my career and to strengthen my motivation. I have no real obligations in Dubai apart from my training, which allows me to be 100% focused. And there, few people know who I am, so I am calmer on a daily basis than in Denmark.
So you are happier in Dubai than in Denmark?
I wouldn’t say that, no. But, life is more convenient there. And I am also asthmatic, I suffer from hay fever, it is also for these reasons that I moved to Dubai. Today, everything is under control and I feel much better than five years ago.
“When I started, people thought I was too tall to be a good singles player, but I proved otherwise”
You wanted to bring other Chinese and Scandinavian players to your side in the United Arab Emirates. Where is this project?
All nationalities in fact, not just Asians, but also Europeans. Over the last three years, many have already come to play with me there and my goal is to create an environment conducive to surpassing oneself, where each player will want to give their all. Sometimes it’s two players training with me, sometimes five or six, but we only have two pitches, so there’s no point in having too many.
When we talk about badminton with people who are not necessarily experts, we often think of Asia. We have no idea that the best player in the world comes from Denmark. What does it feel like to break down prejudices?
(Laughs.) I am very proud of my journey, of what I have managed to do so far. When I started, people thought I was too tall to be a good singles player (he’s 1.95m), but I proved otherwise. I never paid too much attention to preconceived ideas, I was more focused on myself and how I achieved my goals and the best place I could aspire to.
118
It has been 118 weeks since Viktor Axelsen has held the world number 1 position continuously, since November 30, 2021.
This summer, there will be Paris. For the future, what are your objectives?
After ? There will surely be many other tournaments planned, right? I am not yet preparing for retirement.
You make a lot of videos on social networks to popularize badminton, explaining how you train or how to achieve this or that technical move. How did you come to this idea ?
When I was a young player, I wish I could have watched videos of great champions such as Lin Dan (double Olympic champion, in 2008 and 2012, in men’s singles). I am not required to make these videos, and I do not do it for money but for pleasure, to reach as many people as possible, to grow the badminton community around the world and to help new players. I think if several top players did it, it would bring a lot to the sport. I don’t take the visibility that social networks offer me lightly, it’s a great opportunity to make my sport known while also making myself known. But the most important thing is to help the youngest.
“As a child, I lived right next to the gymnasium so it was natural that my father introduced me to badminton and that I took a liking to it”
Are you considering retraining as a YouTuber?
I’m already kind of a YouTuber. (Laughs.) And yes, when I no longer play, I will indeed have more time to devote to making videos to help my sport and the Federations grow.
In one of them, you admit to putting a spacer between your toes to prevent blisters. So is that the secret to being an Olympic champion?
In any case, this is my secret to avoiding having sore feet. But having mentioned this aspect of my equipment was above all a way of highlighting the fact that even the best players in the world have small, harmless injuries to treat, like all people ultimately.
Badminton has never had as many licensees as this year
. Have you felt a growing enthusiasm for the discipline since you started?
2024-03-04 17:31:34
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