Viktor Axelsen’s long-awaited return to the court ended in frustration at the Hong Kong Open Super 500, where the Dane fell 15-21, 7-21 to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the first round.
The 31-year-old Olympic champion, who had been sidelined for nearly six months after back surgery, admitted it was difficult to accept such a one-sided defeat.
“Of course, I’m happy to be back on court, but I had hoped to enjoy the game more. A lot of things haven’t gone my way recently — I was sick last week and couldn’t train, but I still pushed myself to compete,” Axelsen said. “I always set high standards for myself, so to play at what I feel was a relatively low level is really hard to accept. But that’s part of an athlete’s journey.”
Despite his struggles, Axelsen praised Naraoka, acknowledging his opponent simply played the better game on the day.
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