The 10 Badminton Players of All Time in the World

Badminton may not enjoy the same level of popularity as tennis, but it certainly influences culture and is embraced by millions of fans worldwide. During its long and rich history, there were many notable players.

In this article, we will aim to select the best of the best and cover different aspects of their biographies.

Lin Dan (China)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest badminton players in history, Lin Dan has numerous awards and titles. Being a five-time World Champion and two-time World Cup champion is among those, but the list goes for much longer. He completed the so-called Super Grand Slam, which means having five major titles in this sport, just by the age of 28.

Born in Fujian, China, he started playing the game very early, having significant achievements at age five. Despite his family encouraging him to become a piano player, Lin was adamant about pursuing badminton. After several smaller-scale but important achievements, his first major win came at the 2000 Asian Junior Championships, where he landed first place in both singles and team events.

That was just the beginning: Lin Dan’s badminton career saw him turning professional in 2001. In 2003, he reached the finals of the Japan Open. 2004 was even more productive, with Lin helping the Chinese team qualify for the Thomas Cup. He continued the run by getting the All-England win later that year, as well as participating in the semi-finals of the Japan Open. In February 2024, he was ranked the first in the world. Despite being a very successful and productive year for his career, 2004 resulted in some setbacks later: Lin suffered some setbacks due to injuries.

In 2006, he won the title of the IBF World Championships, which he retained a year later. Overall, the 2006 season was extremely successful, with him winning Taipei, Macau, and Japan Opens, as well as the All-England one. The next decade did not see him stopping: he won multiple Thomas Cups, had Olympic successes, and provided impressive results at the Asian Championships. Moreover, he won five World Championships titles.

Lin Dan retired in 2020 at the age of 37. As a player, he was known for his extremely aggressive style. Another important thing to mention is that he had a rivalry with Lee Chong Wei, a Malaysian who also belongs to our list of famous badminton players.

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)

Lee Chong Wei is often considered by many to be the best athlete in badminton history, although fans of Lin Dan often challenge this claim. The two shared a long-lasting rivalry, which was probably the fiercest in the discipline’s history.

Lee favored basketball as a kid. He switched his attention to badminton because his mother banned him from playing basketball due to the hot weather and the fact that the court was getting hot. A local coach, Teh Peng Huat, noticed him, and the two started working together.

Lee started playing professionally in 2000, but his first real success came to fruition in 2004, when he won the Malaysia Open and Taipei Open. He also participated in the Olympics later that year, although with limited success. His career started getting momentum, and he continued his successful run. In 2006, he won three major titles: the Swiss Open, the Asian Badminton Championships, and the Malaysia Open. At the latter, he had a heated game against Lin Dan. Overall, the list of Lee Chong Wei’s achievements is rather long: he won 12 Malaysia Open titles, a singles record in the game’s history.

He retired in 2009. He was known as a player with an agile and tactical playing style. He knew how to serve, counter-attack, and read the opponent well.

Gao Ling (China)

The first female badminton player we want to highlight is Gao Ling. Her career was brief but impressive, leaving a lasting mark on the sport.

She turned professional in 1996 and had a lot of success at the Asia Junior Championships the year after. In 2000, she participated in the Sydney Olympics, getting a bronze medal in women’s doubles and a gold one in mixed doubles. With Huang Sui, she won six consecutive double titles at the All England Open from 2001 to 2006, a record still unbroken in women’s doubles. She also won several mixed doubles titles at these events.

She retired in 2009 at 30, leaving an impressive legacy. She stands among the best female doubles players in the history of badminton. As a player, she was a right-hander known for her determination and consistent approach.

Gao Ling is not the only player who retired early, but thankfully, there are plenty of active and impressive athletes. And if you want to watch their games and also betting on badminton, there are plenty of ways to do so.

Rudy Hartono (Indonesia)

He has been in retirement since 1982, but his record of having 8 men’s singles titles at the All England Open is still unbroken. This says something about Hartono’s skill and importance. Yes, his impact on the sport would be difficult to overstate.

He started playing the sport at 11 and played for Indonesia at the 1967 Thomas Cup when he was 17. Despite his impressive results, the country still lost. But that did not stop Rudy: a year later, he became the youngest All-England Open champion at 18. This began his seven-year consecutive strike at the championships, which he dominated from 1968 to 1974. The strike was broken in 1975 when Svend Pri, his arch-rival and a famous Danish player, defeated Hartono. Rudy reclaimed the title a year later.

Apart from covering all of those Rudy Hartono All-England wins, it is important to mention that he succeeded at many other games. For example, he had four wins at Thomas Cup as part of the men’s team, as well as two-second places. He also had some success at the Asian Games. But most importantly, he won the 1980 World Championships title on his first and only try.

He retired in 1982 but continued to be involved in the sport by joining various associations. Speaking of his playing style, he was fast with powerful serves yet managed to stay precise.

Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia)

He achieved his first notable success just by 17, winning the Brunei Open title. Impressively, he captured the Indonesia Open title just a year later.

He claimed victory at the Asian Championships, the Indonesia Open, and the Malaysia Open that year. His notable accomplishments include securing the World Championships title in 2005, earning a gold medal in men’s singles at the 2004 Olympics, and winning two Thomas Cups. Additionally, he has been victorious at the Indonesia Open six times overall.

He retired in 2013, aged 31. He is currently the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sport in Indonesia. As a player, he was famous for his backhand smash, which earned him the nickname “Mr. Backhand.” It was extremely powerful, and he knew other ways to deliver the shot quickly, making him a difficult opponent with impressive versatility. In 2006, his forehand jump smash broke records as the fastest ever at the time, reaching the speed of 305 km/h.

Carolina Marín (Spain)

Aged 31, she is the first currently active player on our list. Carolina started playing at 8 after being previously interested in dancing. 2009 was the year that marked her early significant successes: she had impressive results at a few junior championships. In 2011, she reached the semi-finals of the World Junior Championships in Taipei. In 2014, she won the World Championships title, becoming the first Spaniard to achieve so. It also made her the youngest European player ever to win this title.

Her run for success did not stop there. In 2015, she won the All England Open, a feat that she recently repeated in 2024. She defended her World Championships title in 2015, winning several other notable titles, such as the Malaysia Open and Hong Kong Open.

2016 saw her getting the gold medal at the Rio Olympics. The next year, she won the Japan Open, and a year later got her third World Championships title. Her other achievements include seven victories at the European Championships. She currently ranks as the number four female badminton player in the world.

Her playing style is extremely aggressive. Some spectators and experts criticize her for being unsportsmanlike on the court.

Susi Susanti (Indonesia)

Our list of legendary badminton players would not be complete without Susi Susanti.

Similarly to Gao Ling, she had a brief but very impactful career. After several successes at various junior championships, she won her first World Cup in 1989, a feat she repeated four times. The early 1990s saw her dominating the sport, being the most powerful female singles player. She is the only female player to hold the Olympics, All-England, and World Championships titles simultaneously.

Her other career achievements included several Japan Open wins, two Uber Cup titles, and 8 wins at the SEA Games, both singles and team. Her prime years were marked by several rivalries, most notably the one with Huang Hua.

She retired in 1997, shortly after marrying Alan Budikusuma, a fellow Indonesian badminton player who also had an impressive career. Susi’s impact was massive since there were only a few female players who dominated the sport in the same manner. A biopic “Susi Susanti: Love All” was released in 2019 in Indonesia.

But what made her so powerful? Speaking of the playing style, Susi was quick and utilized her relatively short stature to her advantage. She also knew how to wear down the opponent’s stamina. She was quick and agile, which also was a big advantage. Later in her career, she incorporated more aggressive moves into her style, which made her even more unpredictable.

Peter Gade (Denmark)

Peter Gade, the first Danish player on our list, was an undeniable force during the height of his career. His achievements include five wins at the European Championships singles, a win at the All England Open in 1999, and winning a Singapore Open in 2006. At the peak of his career, he was ranked the number one player in the world. He never won the Thomas Cup or the World Championships but had several attempts to do so and reached the finals quite a few times at both events.

He retired in 2012 after reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open. He had a farewell exhibition match in December that year, playing against Lin Dan. Gade’s playing style was fast and aggressive. He constantly pressured the opponents, trying to wear down their attention and stamina. He also had impressive footwork and knew how to get creative at deceiving opponents.

Zhang Ning (China)

What makes Zhang Ning stand out is the fact that she reached the peak of her career in her late twenties, which is very unusual for elite-level badminton players, especially for Chinese ones, since their system encourages earlier starts.

Her achievements include two gold Olympic medals in women’s singles in 2004 and 2008, the World Championships title in 2003, three Asian Games wins, and two Uber Cup victories. She also has three China Open wins under her belt, as well as five wins at Singapore Open and Malaysia Open.

She retired in 2008 at the age of 33. She started a coaching career immediately after. Her playing style revolved around consistency and constant pressure. She usually tried to wear down her opponents while keeping an incredible level of precision.

Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)

Viktor Axelsen is the second currently active badminton player on our list. The Dane is 30 and currently ranks the world No. 2. He was born in Odense and started playing the game at six. He started showing incredible results early, having a long list of junior achievements under his belt by the age of 16.

In 2012, he got second place at the French Open and won the bronze medal at the European Championships. 2014 saw him winning the Swiss Open. 2016 was a very successful year for him: he won the European Championships and was a part of the team that won the Thomas Cup and the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.

He has two World Championships titles, two Olympic gold medals, and multiple European Mixed Team Championships wins. Apart from that, he won the All-England Open and Malaysia Open two times each. His latest achievement was becoming the first Danish men’s singles player to win the Hong Kong Open in nearly 30 years.

His playing style is versatile since he is good at attacking and defending. He usually plays calmly but can be explosive and aggressive if and when needed. However, some experts think he currently lacks proper competition at his level.

Conclusion

Badminton boasts a number of legends, both current and former. The sport is enjoyable to watch and play, even if it does not quite match the popularity of tennis.

In this article, we looked at the top badminton players in the world, men and women. We explored their biographies, main achievements, and playing styles. We can conclude that the most notable badminton players usually know how to be both defensive and good at attack. At the same time, unpredictability, versatility, and the ability to wear down opponents are other important factors.