Kuala Lumpur: The 2017 world champion Viktor Axelsen, World No. 2 Shi Yuqi and the defending women’s singles champion Carolina Marin have pulled out of the 2019 BWF World Championships that will held in Basel, Switzerland, from August 19 to August 25.
Axelsen posted a message on his social media page last Wednesday with the following message: “Hi guys. My injury is still not well and unfortunately I won’t be able to take part in the World Champs and other tournaments in this period. Of course this is a really frustrating situation, but I’m keeping my head high and I will do whatever I can to be back as soon as possible. Thanks for all your support. I’ll make sure to keep you posted. Have a great day. Viggo”
His withdrawal was due to a back injury caused by a disc protrusion in the lower back, which is a precursor to a slipped disc, causing pain in the back and legs.
Meanwhile, Chinese shuttler and 2018 World Championships runner-up, Shi Yuqi also withdrew from the tournament with an ankle injury. Shi suffered a serious ankle injury in the Indonesia Open second round against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen. He had a severe twist on his left ankle at the 12th minutes of the match and immediately fell to the ground with a lot of pain.
When Shi removed his shoes for treatment, there was a huge swelling around his left foot.
Huang Yuxiang will replace Shi to join Chen Long, Lin Dan, and Lu Guangzu in the World’s men’s singles competition.
Reigning World champion Carolina Marin had earlier said she might compete at the World Championships after a faster than expected recovery from the knee surgery she underwent after rupturing anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during the Indonesia Masters final on January 27.
However, Marin then posted a video on her social media platform last weekend with the following message:
“Hello everyone. My team and me have decided we aren’t going to play the World Championships because we are very short of time. The recovery is going very well and the knee is running well. So, we’ll wait till the tournaments of September and especially, I’d like to say thank you for your daily support, and from here, I send you a big kiss.”
