Viktor Axelsen Falls to World No. 8 Due to Injury

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) released its latest rankings on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), showing Viktor Axelsen has slipped to world No. 8. The Danish star was overtaken by Chou Tien Chen (No. 6) and Kodai Naraoka (No. 7).

Axelsen has been sidelined since April due to a back injury that required surgery. He activated his protected ranking and is expected to be out for up to three months.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist is targeting a return at the 2025 World Championships (August 25–31).

Meanwhile, Jonatan Christie remains at No. 5, just 4,135 points ahead of Chou. He will compete in the Singapore Open 2025, facing Nhat Nguyen in the opening round — his first appearance as a professional player after leaving Indonesia’s national team earlier in May.