World No.1 Viktor Axelsen opposes newly proposed scoring system

What’s the story?

Viktor Axelsen, the present top men's singles badminton player, expressed his displeasure for the proposed new scoring system of five sets to 11.

In case you didn’t know…

According to reports, during the Annual General Meeting which was organized by BWF on May 18, a consensus was arrived at and it was decided that the three sets to 21 system will remain. The new service rule, however, will stay as well.

The meeting was attended by delegates from the international federation’s 189 member associations in Bangkok who voted on the council's proposals on May 19.

The heart of the matter

Earlier, ace Danish badminton player, Axelsen, had told reporters that he personally does not approve of the new proposed system. He is of the opinion that if the new system was to be implemented then it would "take out the more physical part of the game".

“I’m afraid we won’t see that as much if we play to 11 points even though it’s five sets,” he said. The Danish top-shot added, “Also I know that some of the matches might be sort of boring to watch if there is too big of a difference in the level of players.”

“I think that 21 points it’s fine, I don’t think it’s a problem, so I’d rather continue with how things are,” the World Number 1 further went on to say.

What’s next?

Although the 24-year-old had to miss out the All England Open and India Open due to an injury, he won the recently concluded 2018 European Championships.

Axelsen will be taking part in the Thomas Cup, which starts on May 20. He will unite with his fellow teammates from Denmark. In 2016, he helped create history as the Danish team became the first non-Asian team to win the prestigious title, defeating Indonesia 3-2 in the final

Author’s take

The prevalent scoring system requires a player to work extremely hard and is physically taxing. The matches also last longer and it is truly the survival of the fittest, making the sport a lot of fun to watch.

The changes to the system were proposed in order to draw more attention to the sport and captivate more people. However, a majority of the people who are already fans of the sport, as well as many of the badminton players like Axelsen would not want the system to change.