TOKYO: Danish badminton ace Viktor Axelsen said he could still “become a better player” after winning his second world title on Sunday, but brushed off comparisons with Chinese great Lin Dan.

Reigning Olympic champion Axelsen crushed Thailand’s Kunvalut Vitidsarn 21-5, 21-16 in Tokyo to add another world title to the one he claimed in 2017, cementing his place at the top of the sport.

The 28-year-old did not lose a single game at this week’s world championships and he believes he has the potential to improve further with “a long road ahead” of him.

“I want to become as good as I possibly can,” said the world number one, who has lost only one singles match this year. “I try to take every day as it comes and try to get better and better every day. I still feel like I can become a better player and that’s my main goal.”

Axelsen will try to emulate Lin in winning back-to-back Olympic titles when the Paris Games get underway in 2024. Lin won two Olympic golds and five world titles during his storied career but Axelsen refused to be compared to a player he believes is badminton’s greatest of all time.

“For me, Lin Dan is the best player who has ever been — he’s the GOAT,” said Axelsen. “I just try to focus on myself and try to do as good as I possibly can, and I’m really proud about where I am right now.”

In women’s singles, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retained her title in front of her home crowd with a 21-12, 10-21, 21-14 win over China’s Chen Yufei.

Top seed Yamaguchi had not dropped a single game on her way to the final but she had to dig deep to beat Olympic champion Chen after the momentum shifted in the second game.

“With the fans being here in the arena, the support they gave me really gave me strength,” said the 25-year-old Yamaguchi. “Maybe that was the reason I was able to stay very positive throughout the tournament.”

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2022