KUALA LUMPUR: After conceding to Lee Zii Jia in five minutes yesterday, world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen will miss next week's Malaysia Masters.
The 29-year-old Dane sustained a hamstring injury during his Sudirman Cup quarter-final match against Zii Jia in Suzhou, China.
Axelsen announced on social media that he will miss the next few tournaments after having his leg examined.
Initially, Axelsen had a strong start to the match against Zii Jia, leading 4-2. However, he experienced discomfort in his left hamstring and called for a medical timeout. Despite receiving treatment, the problem persisted.
The lanky Dane attempted to continue playing but retired after Zii Jia won the next two points.
Axelsen was subsequently taken to the hospital. "The MRI scan I underwent confirmed what we expected, which is a muscle strain in my left hamstring," Axelsen posted on Instagram.
"For the time being, I won't be able to be on the court and will miss the next few tournaments. I'm taking it one day at a time and looking forward to working my way back to full speed again."
Unfortunately, Axelsen's injury comes at a crucial time as the one-year Race To Paris 2024 qualifying period has just begun, with the Sudirman Cup being the first event offering ranking points.
While Axelsen is undoubtedly capable of qualifying, maintaining his world's top ranking is essential to securing a favourable seeding for the Paris Olympics.
Axelsen aims to emulate the retired Chinese superstar Lin Dan by winning consecutive gold medals in men's singles at the Olympics.
Denmark's head coach, Kenneth Jonanssen admitted his team faced a tough challenge once their "trump card" Axelsen withdrew against Malaysia.
In an interview with TV2 Danmark, Jonanssen said: "The odds were difficult from the start, but it didn't make it any easier when Axelsen had to withdraw. Viktor's exit deflates our hopes.
"When we have to win a team match like this, we feel like we have a big ace in Viktor, although there are many other talented players as well.
"But when it happens, we know that Malaysia suddenly becomes a different challenge. The team fought with all their might, but we were up against better opponents. We also didn't perform well enough in critical moments.
"I'm naturally extremely disappointed and somewhat concerned about Viktor, but we lost (3-1) to a team that was superior to us today and also displayed more courage."
Besides points delivered by Zii Jia, Malaysia also triumphed in the mixed doubles through Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.