Copenhagen: Denmark suffered huge losses ahead of the Thomas and Uber Cup finals as World No. 2 men’s doubles player Carsten Mogensen and World No. 2 women’s doubles pair Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl have decided to pull out from the Denmark squad.
Carsten Mogensen didn’t play for Denmark when the team first won the prestigious men’s team trophy due to a brain umbilical hernia. It’s unclear why he skipped this year’s Thomas Cup, but seemed to relate to his health.
“He did not prepare enough to participate in the Thomas Cup. It’s unfortunate to play without Carsten, but the Thomas Cup team showed they could win in 2016, and we believed we could go all the way this time,” said Badminton Denmark sports director, Jens Meibom.
Meanwhile, Christinna Pedersen’s withdrawal was due to illness in her immediate family, while the reason for Kamilla Rytter Juhl’s absence has not been disclosed.
“It’s unfortunate that we cannot include Christina and Kamilla into the Uber Cup team especially after we lost Carsten for the Thomas Cup team. But we totally understand that there are other things in their lives which have higher priority than badminton,” added Meibom.
Denmark has been drawn in Group C with Russia, South Korea and Mauritius in the Uber Cup group stage, while has been selected in Group D with Malaysia, Russia and Algeria in the Thomas Cup draw.
