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The 30-year-old threw his weight behind fellow player Zhang, who issues an impassioned plea shedding light on the struggles of being on the professional badminton tour which obliges the ‘Top Committed Players’, the top ranked players in each category, to meet grueling schedules.
Viktor Axelsen, Beiwen Zhang.
Danish badminton star Viktor Axelsen voiced his discontent with BWF’s attitude towards shuttles and their mental well being amid the hassles of the taxing tour.
The 30-year-old threw his weight behind fellow player Beiwen Zhang, who issued an impassioned plea shedding light on the struggles of being on the professional badminton tour which obliges the ‘Top Committed Players’, the top-ranked players in each category, to meet gruelling schedules.
I have absolutely no need to “beef” with BWF, but I’m so tired of the disconnect between players and BWF.Everything needs to go through the Federation, but I’m an individual athlete with my own team, making my own decisions!
Some players are happy to be in the federation.…
— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) December 4, 2024
“I have absolutely no need to “beef” with BWF, but I’m so tired of the disconnect between players and BWF,” Axelsen began.
“Everything needs to go through the Federation, but I’m an individual athlete with my own team, making my own decisions,” he added.
He touched up on the plight of the independent players, who have it all the more difficult on so many levels.
“Some players are happy to be in the federation. That’s great, but we are some athletes who are independent,” the Dane added.
“What has especially upset me recently is the handling of Beiwen Zhang’s case. She is struggling mentally and financially, but she has no choice but to continue playing because “mental health” is not a good enough reason to avoid the obligations for “Top Comitted Players,” Axelsen continued.
“If we as a sport don’t take mental health seriously, then where are we heading?”
“I appreciate what the work Athlete Committe are doing, but I’m very sorry, but we have absolutely no power to change anything as the situation is now, and the only way BWF will listen is that we as players speak up,” the Dane said.
“Many players are scared to talk publicly, which is understandable, giving the power Federations have. But I have a responsibility. For current players and future generations. And I’m not going to not speak my mind!!! And also YOU, the fans. Deserve to know what is going on,” the 30-year-old star added.
“Without the support from all you around the world, we are nothing, and it’s time we all acknowledge this. We need to work together, and we as players need to be heard. BWF has many good things to grow our sport, but we could do so much better together,” he stated.
“Will there be any change because of my posts? Probably not, but I won’t look back in years from now and look at a career where I didn’t fight for what I think is right for the players, the fans, and our sport,” the star concluded.
Zhang revealed the tough, lonely circumstances on tour and how difficult it was for a self-funded player to keep up with the demands of the tour and also keep their mental health on track.
“It’s been a long, lonely road. I qualified for the Top Committed Player category again for 2025 but honestly, it feels bittersweet. While many players fight to keep their ranking high, all I want to do is drop out. Why? Because every tournament feels like a battle I’m fighting alone,” Zhang posted on her Instagram.
“At tournaments, I often can’t even find someone to warm up with. After the Olympics, it got even worse, In China (Shenzhen) I’m the last matches I experienced same kind of pain again,” she continued.
“The longer I survived in the tournament, the more isolated I felt. At the Canada Open, I had to ask Yonex our player support if she knew anyone who could help me warming up with, Even at the U.S. Open, home tournament, I ended up warming up with someone work at Yonex company because everyone had already left. Just imagine other tournaments,” she added.
Zhang spoke about how lonely it could get on tour and the toll it took on her mental well-being.
“Players tend to stick to their own groups or stay in the previous country to train together. Over the years, I’ve faced judgment and strange looks, and it’s been incredibly lonely. It hurts that BWF doesn’t care about the mental and psychological toll this takes on players,” Zhang said.
“They even declined my doctor’s note without asking why, as if my struggles don’t matter I’ve been through so much in the past 10 years, and the more results I achieve, the sadder I feel. There’s no team supporting no consistent training partner, and no system that understands how difficult this journey has been,”
“Im a positive person but I’m still human, I need rest, both mentally and physically, but as a self- funded player, I don’t have the luxury of paying someone to travel with me for support, My coach Ding chao paying from his own pocket to travel with me I’m trying to make things better, but it feels like an uphill battle.”
Zhang concluded by thanking everyone who supported her though the testing times as she signed off.
“To everyone who has supported me, thank you. Your encouragement is what keeps me going, even in the darkest times,” she concluded.
