The rise of the French!
It has been no secret that French players have been progressing well over the past 5-6 years. Especially with the emergence of the Popov brothers, led by their father Toma Popov, training out of Fos-sur-Mer.
Even with that considered, 2024 was a huge year for French badminton. Alex Lanier broke into the top 20, six podium finishes, won France’s first-ever BWF 750 event at the Japan Open, and beat multiple top 10 players.
The Popov brothers both broke into the top 20 in men’s singles. Cristo won two 300 tournaments, the Hylo Open in Germany and the German Open, plus a podium finish at the prestigious All England. Toma Jr. made two finals, the Spain masters and the Hylo Open, where he was beaten by his brother Cristo. Toma Jr. also claimed the silver at the European championships.
Thom Gicquel and Delrue competed well in mixed doubles. Qualifying for the Paris Olympics and securing a final at the India Open to go with their European Championships gold. They finished the year ranked in the top 15!
These are the top performers, but it must be said that France now has strong players throughout the rankings, especially in men’s singles. At junior level, they are producing talent that competes with the Danish prospects, signifying it could be a matter of time before they surpass the Denmark for European dominance.
Growing independence for players!
We have seen another year of players taking the leap to go independent and leave the safety of their federations. This trend is picking up momentum. We have previously seen this done throughout the eras of badminton, though not quite this prominently. Historically, players would move to another country, like Tony Gunawan, or be part of the federation but have special privileges to manage themselves.
This current trend is much more pronounced with players like Viktor Axelsen controlling his whole setup, independent revenue, and moving to a different country. The list grew this year, with another Malaysian doubles pair successfully taking the leap. Goh Sze Fei & Nur Izzuddin Rumsani went independent in August 2024, clinching the Japan, China, and Arctic Open titles after making the change.
New Strait Times did a good piece on this: https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2024/12/1149681/why-have-izzuddin-sze-fei-bloomed-leaving-bam-watch
It was also a good year for those athletes who already hold independent status. Viktor Axelsen won the Olympics and had another fantastic year on the tour. Anders Antonsen took second at the tour finals and titles at the China Masters, Denmark Open, Malaysia Open, Indonesia Masters, and European championships. Goh Jin Wei remains Malaysia’s number 1, and she qualified for the Olympics.
Will we see more players going independent in 2025?
Underdogs defend their Olympic crown!!
In 2021 Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin were on of the top doubles pairs, navigating the complexity of lockdowns to emerge with titles at top events and a top 5 ranking. With that said, they were not expected to clinch the title with pairs such as Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya, Ahsan and Setiawan, Endo and Watanabe, Ling and Wang, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik considered the strongest pairs.
They proved they’re elite-level doubles players in a gruelling contest to come out Olympic champions and claim Taiwan’s first-ever Olympic badminton gold medal. The story this past year in Paris was similar, if not even better.
In the lead up to the Olympics Lee and Wang were only ranked at 10 compared to 3 in 2021. In the run-up to the Olympics in Paris, the pair did not get past a QF in any tournaments. A big contrast to 2021. This did not deter them, but it does make their achievement that bit more special.
Some players just come alive when they are representing their country, when their compatriots are cheering them on, and national pride is at stake. That definitely seems to be the case for Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin. They used all their experience from Tokyo to win every match, twice beating the second seeds astrup and rasmussen and dispatchign the top seeds in the final Linag and Wang.
One of the greatest feats in badminton history. To win a title twice is impressive, but to retain an Olympic title is the ultimate achievement in badminton. They join only 3 other players to retain an Olympic badminton title; now on par with Lin Dan, Viktor Axelsen, and Gao Ling/Zhang Jun. Legends!
Chou Tien Chen defeats CANCER!
It was announced back in February, at the start of the year, that one of the oldest players on tour had overcome colon cancer. Chou Tien Chen is well-loved on the tour by players and fans. One of the most notable independent players coming from Taiwan with his own unique set up and training, only taking his physiotherapist with him to tournaments, and still claiming titles!
Maybe the most remarkable part of this is that he took no time away from badminton. In a quiet period, he went for routine health checks and was diagnosed with early-stage colon cancer. he took swift action to remove the cancer with surgery. Shortly after the surgery, he was back winning titles at the hylo open 2023.
In 2024 he proved that this incredible moment in his life has not affected him, at least to the court. This year, he reached 9 podiums from 27 tournaments. Again, showing his incredible resilience and endurance.
Check out this summary from the Olympic website: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/badminton-chinese-taipei-chou-tien-chen-cancer-diagnosis-interview
A decimation of the rankings for 2025?
The Olympics have an incredible influence on badminton, and this year is no different. In keeping with tradition, but maybe to a larger extent this year, we see many top players retire from international badminton after the Olympic Games.
This year is no different, with Carolina Marin out with injury 10th (not yet confirmed to retire), Tai Tzu Ying 8th, Aya Ohori 7th, He Bingjiao 7th (at Olympics).
In men’s singles, Kento Momota retired early in the year, Sai Praneeth, Kanta Tsuneyama, and Zhao Junpeng.
Womens doubles; Rawinda Prajongjai/Jongkolphan Kititharakul, Wakana Nagahara, Lauren Smith and Selena Piek.
Mens doubles; Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi, Marcus Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Lee yang, Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan, Zheng Seiwei, Marcus Ellis and Robin Tabling.
This leaves gaps in the current order of elite badminton, possibly an opportunity for younger players to come through, but possibly a drop in quality when losing such big names and elite athletes.
Did we miss anyone?
- Indonesia Masters 2025 Women’s Singles Preview and Predictions - January 21, 2025
- Malaysia Open Review and Results 2025 – did our predictions hold? - January 15, 2025
- India Open 2025 – Women’s Singles Draw and Predictions - January 15, 2025
