Reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen recently explained it was harder to play Lee Chong Wei as compared to Lin Dan at the start of his career, as the Malaysian did not give him a chance on court.
Axelsen was engaged in a question and answer session on his first ever Twitch stream, and the question about the tougher opponent between Lee and Lin Dan popped up.
The Danish star replied : “At the start of my career I played Chong Wei on numerous occasions. I couldn’t understand how someone could beat him. He was so much faster than me, so sharp.
“I remember one match at the Malaysia Open. It was during one of the first years on the Tour. I couldn’t lift the shuttle without him smashing it into the ground. I lost 8-21 & 12-21. But then as I started to get older and better, my defence also improved and I figured how to score points against him.
“Lin Dan was rallying a bit more, and I felt better playing against him. It was still hard to read his shots, but I could rally and play more. But when I played Chong Wei at the start of my career, every time I lifted or played the back court, I was screwed!
“It was harder playing Chong Wei at the start of my career,” said Axelsen.
In 14 meetings against Lee, Axelsen managed to muster three consecutive victories from 2016-2017.
His wins against the Malaysian former world number one came at the 2016 World SuperSeries Finals, 2017 Japan Open and 2017 World SuperSeries Finals.
Axelsen has a much better record against Lin Dan, beating him six times in nine meetings.
His biggest win over the two-time Olympic gold medalist was at the bronze medal match showdown at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio.
Axelsen was engaged in a question and answer session on his first ever Twitch stream, and the question about the tougher opponent between Lee and Lin Dan popped up.
The Danish star replied : “At the start of my career I played Chong Wei on numerous occasions. I couldn’t understand how someone could beat him. He was so much faster than me, so sharp.
Hey guys! Here's the replay of my first ever Twitch live! Lots of Q&A, plus some badminton reactions.
— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) September 27, 2024
Check it out! ? pic.twitter.com/rw2QOeTyb9
“I remember one match at the Malaysia Open. It was during one of the first years on the Tour. I couldn’t lift the shuttle without him smashing it into the ground. I lost 8-21 & 12-21. But then as I started to get older and better, my defence also improved and I figured how to score points against him.
“Lin Dan was rallying a bit more, and I felt better playing against him. It was still hard to read his shots, but I could rally and play more. But when I played Chong Wei at the start of my career, every time I lifted or played the back court, I was screwed!
“It was harder playing Chong Wei at the start of my career,” said Axelsen.
In 14 meetings against Lee, Axelsen managed to muster three consecutive victories from 2016-2017.
His wins against the Malaysian former world number one came at the 2016 World SuperSeries Finals, 2017 Japan Open and 2017 World SuperSeries Finals.
Axelsen has a much better record against Lin Dan, beating him six times in nine meetings.
His biggest win over the two-time Olympic gold medalist was at the bronze medal match showdown at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio.
