'Doesn't Feel Good': Viktor Axelsen Already Suffering From Post-Retirement Blues?

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen is seemingly suffering from post-retirement blues, as he gets used to being called a former badminton player and not just ‘badminton player’, four days after he announced that he is hanging up his boots from professional badminton.

Axelsen, who won Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and again at the Paris 2024 Olympics, underwent back surgery in April last year and admitted he has struggled to overcome his physical problems.

Axelsen was in action in October and had declared that he would draw an end to the season early and focus on 2026, but that was not to be.

“Preparing to change my bio from “Badminton Player” to “Former Badminton Player”😭 Doesn’t feel good 😩,” Axelsen tweeted on Sunday night.

Preparing to change my bio from “Badminton Player” to “Former Badminton Player”😭
Doesn’t feel good 😩

— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) April 19, 2026

Axelsen retires as one of the most decorated shuttlers in history, having also won two world titles and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Axelsen spent over 100 successive weeks as world No. 1 in men’s singles, an achievement surpassed only by Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei.

Standing 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) and making full use of his imposing wingspan, Axelsen redefined what a shuttler could achieve on court. He reflected that he had ‘accomplished everything I once dreamed of and more’.

Axelsen speaks Mandarin and is a popular figure in China. He posts about his professional and family life on online Chinese platforms.

News of his retirement triggered a wave of reactions across the country and became one of the most talked-about topics on the social media platform Weibo on Wednesday afternoon.

Axelsen won Olympic gold at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 without dropping a single game all tournament.