'You have pushed me to work harder,' Viktor Axelsen sends heartwarming message after Kento Momota announces retirement

Kento Momota will retire after 2024 Thomas Cup.

BWF World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen recently took to social media and penned a heartwarming message for Kento Momota, after the Japanese shuttler announced his retirement from badminton on Thursday (April 18).

The Japanese shuttler will be retiring from the sport after the upcoming Thomas Cup, which is set to take place from April 27 to May 5. Momota has decided to hang his boots after constantly failing to climb in the ranks for almost three years.

In January 2020, Kento Momota suffered serious injuries after being involved in a horrific road accident in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After making his return to the game, the 29-year-old has struggled to regain his pre-accident form. He said in the ceremony:

After Kento Momota made the announcement, world number one Viktor Axelsen took to X (formerly Twitter) to send a message to the Japanese shuttler. He wrote:

“Even though you have kicked my a** way too many times, it has been an absolute pleasure sharing the court with you. I feel lucky to have been able to compete with a player of your caliber. You have pushed me to work harder, and I know you have inspired a lot of fans and young kids around the world to pick up a racket.

“I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and a big congratulations on a fantastic career.”

In the message, Viktor Axelsen wished Momota a happy retirement and also affirmed that he’s looking forward to the 2024 Thomas Open, where the two can play one last match. Axelsen made a mistake in the spelling of retirement in the post, which he corrected later.

The two players have faced each other a total of 17 times across all competitions, with Kento Momota recording 14 wins. However, all his wins have come before 2020.

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