Badminton Best Players of All Time

Ricky Liuzhou

Badminton is an incredibly popular racquet sport that has been enjoyed by individuals of all ages for centuries. It requires precise coordination, quick reflexes and intense strategy in order to win points against your opponent. The objective of the game is simple: use a racquet to hit a shuttlecock across a net so it lands inside the court boundaries on your opponent’s side. Badminton can be played with larger teams but singles (one player per side) and doubles (two players per side) are the most common forms of play today. Whether you’re playing casually outdoors or competing professionally indoors, badminton offers hours of fun challenge as well as mental stimulation.

Table of Contents

1. Lin Dan

Lin Dan

Lin Dan is one of the greatest athletes in Chinese history, and he has won many championships over the years. Lin Dan started playing badminton at a very young age and quickly became known as "Super Dan".

He was originally coached by his father, but later switched to Xia Xuanze when he emerged as one of the world's best players. LinDan has always been known for his strong serves, which have helped him win many matches against opponents with better shots than himself.

On July 4th 2020, Lin announced his retirement from professional badminton after winning a record 66 titles during his career. Lin Dan is a Chinese badminton player who has won numerous international championships. He was born on October 9, 1981 in Wuhan, Hubei Province and started playing badminton at the age of six.

Lin Dan reached his highest ranking of number one in February 2004 and still holds this position as of January 2019. He competed for China at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where he became the men's singles bronze medalist after losing to Indonesia's Pusaruddin Agung 3-21, 21-19, 21-16 in the final match. 

He then went on to win gold medals at both the 2011 World Championships (men's singles) and 2013 Guangzhou Asian Badminton Championships (men's singles).

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland he teamed up with compatriot Li Zhe to take home silverware after they were beaten by England duo Stuart Bingham and Chris Eaton 22-20, 20-22, 22-20 respectively in their semifinal match.

Which marked Lin Dan's fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games appearance without winning a single title game. In 2017 Lin Dan successfully defended his world cup title by defeating South Korea’s Lee Changho 21–11 19–21 21–15 in an epic final match.

Staged at The SSE Hydro Arena – becoming only the second man (after Malaysia’s Taufik Hidayat) ever to retain two world cup titles consecutively.

2. Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen is a Danish badminton player. He has won four international titles and reached the semi-finals of many other tournaments. In 2018, he became world number one for the first time in his career, and defended this ranking at the Indonesia Masters earlier this year.

Viktor Axelsen was born in 1994 and started playing badminton when he was six years old. He now lives in Dubai with his wife and two children, where he trains full-time as an elite athlete. His family are very important to him - they have supported him throughout his career both emotionally and financially.

Viktor Axelsen is a dedicated family man who loves spending time with them wherever possible Viktor Axelsen is a Danish professional tennis player. He has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open men's singles tournaments. 

Viktor Axelsen was born on 4th October 1992 in Gentofte, Denmark. After winning his first ATP title at the age of 17, he went onto win several more titles including two Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells and Montreal in 2011 and 2013 respectively. 

Viktor Axelsen announced his retirement from professional tennis in September 2018 citing lack of motivation to compete as one of the main reasons for this.

3. Lee Chong Wei

Lee Chong Wei

Lee Chong Wei is a Malaysian professional men's singles player. He was born on October 21st, 1982 in Bagan Serai, Perak, Malaysia and raised in Kuala Lumpur.

Lee started playing tennis at the age of six and quickly progressed through the ranks with consistent results including winning national titles as an junior player and attending university to study law before turning pro in 2000.

Over the next decade he amassed a record of 713 wins against 135 losses which saw him crowned world number one for two separate periods (2007-2008 & 2013-2014) before retiring from competitive play 13 June 2019 after reaching his 30th birthday milestone.

His achievements include being runner up at three grand slam tournaments (Australian Open 2002, Wimbledon 2003 & US Open 2005), claiming five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (Indian Wells 2006, Shanghai 2008, Madrid 2010 & Rome 2012). 

Well as becoming the first ever male player to win both The Tennis Masters Cup and The Australian Open consecutively when he triumphed at Melbourne Park in 2018/19 season.

4. Kento Momota

Kento Momota

Kento Momota is a Japanese professional tennis player. He has won 368 career singles matches and 99 losses. In September 2018, he became the first Japanese person to reach the top-10 of the ATP World Tour rankings since Kenichi Mochizuki in 2006.

Momota's highest ranking was number one on 27 September 2018 but he has since fallen down the rankings due to injury problems which have limited him to only 15 appearances this year so far. 

The left-hander started playing tennis at 3 years old and quickly rose through junior ranks before debuting on the professional circuit in 2015 at age 19 under the coach.

Yosuke Nakanishi who helped him achieve his current ranking of 16th in men’s singles world rankings as of January 2023 Kento Momota is a Japanese badminton player who has been representing his country at the world championships and other major tournaments.

Kento Momota won gold in men's singles at the 2015 Jakarta World Championships, and silver in 2019 Basel Men's Singles. At the Asian Games he won silver in mixed doubles with partner Satoko Suetsuna. 

He also competed for Japan at the Thomas Cup, where they finished fourth in 2018 Bangkok edition behind China, Indonesia and host Thailand. In August 2019 he teamed up with Satoshi Sato to win bronze medal at Sudirman Cup partnered by Wong Cho-sang of Hong Kong.

This was their first international title together as a team after many years of individual success between them both.

5. PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu

Sindhu is from Andhra Pradesh in southern India and started playing badminton at the age of six. She made her international debut in 2011 and has since won 41 singles titles, including a World Championship title in 2016.

Sindhu trains with Park Tae-sang, also her coach for the women's doubles event at the Olympics this year. Sindhu has been ranked world No 1 twice (in April 2017 and December 2022) but lost to Carolina Marin of Spain both times.

Sindhu will be defending her world championship title starting on 5 January against Shi Yuqi of China in Jakarta, Indonesia PV Sindhu is one of the best badminton players in India. She has won a number of titles, including the Uber Cup and Asian Games.

Sindhu started playing badminton at a very young age and quickly became one of the top stars in her country. Sindhu made her Olympic debut in 2016 and went on to win a silver medal in the women's singles competition. 

Sindhu is also well-known for her prowess in team events, having helped India to numerous medals at global tournaments over the years.

In 2019 she began competing in singles again after taking time out to have children - proving that she's as competitive off the court as on it. Sindhuu remains an important part of Indian badminton going forward and looks set to continue dominating competitions for many years to come.

6. Taufik Hidayat

Taufik Hidayat

Taufik Hidayat is a 41-year old Indonesian badminton player who has played in the Olympics. He was born and raised in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. His career record is 413 wins and 138 losses.

Taufik Hidayat has won 24 major international tournaments including the Athens 2004 Olympic Games men's singles gold medal match against Korea's Ha Seong-won by 21–19, 18–21, 22–20; this secured him his place as one of Indonesia's most successful sportsmen of all time alongside Muhammad Ali and Billie Jean King.

Taufik Hidayat is a professional Indonesian badminton player who has won several world championship titles and competed in many international tournaments.

Taufik Hidayat was born on November 16, 1981, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Taufik Hidayat started playing badminton at an early age and quickly became one of the top players in his country. 

In 2001, he captured his first world championship title when he beat China's Zhe Wang in the men's singles final at Seville, Spain. The following year (2002), Taufiq also helped Indonesia to win its first Thomas Cup trophy by winning the men's team event at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

In 2006, Taufiq reached another World Championship final when he faced Denmark's Soren Krarup in the competition's deciding match but was unsuccessful once again; this time losing 3-1 after leading 2-0 late into the third set.

Indonesia’s successful Mixed Team claimed second place behind England at Glasgow Commonwealth Games tournament - their best performance ever until that point.

2008 proved to be even better for Taufik as he repeated as Mixed Team Champion alongside partner Arian Agung Raihaan while also claiming silver medals both individually and with team Indonesia at the Guangzhou Asian Games held across two venues.

The National Tennis Centre and Tianjin Sports Center Gymnasium) 2009 marked yet another triumphant year for him when together with teammate. Hendra Sukmawati Soekarnoputri – now ranked number one women’s doubles player on tour.

Taufik triumphed over Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman & Erik Endreson en route to becoming Men’s Singles Champions of Asia (the continent’s preeminent continental badminton Championships) during October 25th through November 1st weekend hosted by Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw City ).

7. Chen Long

Chen Long

Chen Long is a Chinese badminton player who competed in the 2012 London Olympics. Chen has won more than 445 matches in his career and has 115 losses to his name.

He was ranked No 1 for Badminton World Federation (BWF) from 25th December 2014-2015, but he currently occupies the rank of No 5 according to BWF rankings released on 20 September 2017 Chen began playing badminton at an early age and made rapid progress through provincial tournaments before making it onto the national team in 2007.

His biggest success came when he took home gold medals at both the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and 2012 London Olympics respectively, becoming one of only two players ever to do so - along with fellow Chinese compatriot Lin Dan. 

Chen retired from professional play following the completion of the 2016 Rio Olympic games where China finished as runners up, claiming 4 silver medals overall including 3 consecutively in men's singles event behind Saketh Myneni of India.

After retirement, he now coaches young badminton players.

8. Tai Tzu-ying

Tai Tzu-ying

Tai Tzu-ying is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. She has won 44 singles titles and 163 losses in her career thus far. Tai's highest ranking was 1st, which she achieved in December 2016.

Her most successful year to date has been 2018, when she reached the quarterfinals of the Chinese Taipei Open. Born on 20 June 1994 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Tai began playing tennis at the age of four and quickly became one of Asia’s top players aged just 18 years old.

 When she made it to her first WTA main draw event at Hong Kong International Women’s Tennis Championships that same year as an unseeded wildcard entrant alongside compatriot Hsu Yung-Jan.

Tai finished runner-up to world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki in qualifying for the main draw but went on to make history by becoming only the fourth. 

Asian woman (after Jelena Dokic, Li Na and Sania Mirza ) ever seeded into a Grand Slam main draw match with wins against Nozomi Okuhara , Barbora Strycova and Viktoria Azarenka en route before losing 6–2 3–6 7–5 2nd round against Serena Williams. 

Tai also competed at Beijing Olympics 2012 representing her nation Taiwan reaching semi finals before being beaten by eventual gold medallist Victoria Azarenka 4 sets to 0 after leading 2 sets to love; this makes. 

Tai one of two finalists who were eliminated from the contention stage during Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 qualification process along with Japan's Shinji Hazuki.

9. Srikanth Kidambi

Srikanth Kidambi

Kidambi is a 29-year-old Indian male tennis player who has been playing since the age of 14. He first came to prominence in 2013 when he won the French Super Series title, beating world number 2 Stan Wawrinka in the final.

Kidambi has since competed at several other ATP World Tour events, but his highest ranking was 1st in April 2018. His best performance to date came at the 2019 Australian Open, where he reached the third round of competition before being eliminated by eventual semi-finalist Novak Djokovic Srikanth Kidambi is one of the most accomplished badminton players in India.

He has won several prestigious tournaments including the World Championships, Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games. Srikanth started playing badminton at a very young age and quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of India's leading players. 

His success in tournaments has led him to be tipped as a future world champion. In addition to his achievements on the court, Srikanth is also highly respected for his philanthropy work with charities such ascancer awareness initiatives.

The 26-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram is currently gearing up for another successful year in 2021 when he will compete at both the World Championships and the Thomas Cup Finals.

10. Carolina Marin

Carolina Marin

Carolina Marin is a Spanish tennis player who has competed on the WTA tour since 2009. She has won 430 matches, including 124 in singles and 246 in doubles.

Her highest ranking was 1st in 2015. Carolina started playing tennis at the age of six, and trained with her father until she turned sixteen when she began to train with Fernando Rivas, her current coach.

Carolina made her debut on the WTA Tour at the 2009 Madrid Open where she lost in the first round to Petra Martić 6-1, 7-6(5). 

In 2010, Carolina reached her first ever quarterfinal at Roland Garros where she beat world number 32 Caroline Garcia but then lost to eventual champion Li Na 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 as well as losing in straight sets to Gisela Dulko 0–6, 5–7 retired also that year's Australian Open 2nd round 4th seed Alizé Cornet.

In 2011 Carolina qualified for Wimbledon for the first time by winning two qualifying tournaments held back to back - defeating Arantxa Sánchez Vicario en route both times; once at Barceloneta (9/11) and again ten days later coming from a set down against. 

Virginie Razzano at Granby (10/15). At SW19 however Marín fell victim once more reaching yet another early second-round exit after being defeated by Tamira Paszek 1–6 7–5 6–3 despite holding match point late in their encounter.

Carolina bounced back impressively though finishing runner-up behind former world no 1 Ana Ivanovic at Indian Wells Masters thereby booking her place into US Open Series Qualifying Event which took place October 31 – November 2nd 2013 played over three days of consecutive. 

Wins over Beatriz Haddad Maia Llagostera, Patricia Mayorga before finally beating French wild card Anne Keothavong 3&0 rets 64 76(8) 63 60 making it through direct entry into main draw.

“I'm really happy because this win gives me confidence going into future events and I will use this experience to improve my game" Said Marín postmatch while reflecting on an impressive run thus far.

On Sunday Nov 02 2014 Maria commenced play against 22nd seed Lucie Safarova leading 4−2 up 40‑40 only for Czech ace Safarova level terms thereafter taking.

11. Rudy Hartono

Rudy Hartono

Rudy Hartono is an Indonesian-born former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 in January 1984 and also achieved a doubles ranking of World No.

2 with Budi Santoso, which they held between November 1982 and February 1983. Hartono has won 10 ATP singles titles including the 1985 French Open (which was his only major title) and the 1986 Australian Open; he also reached two other finals, at Hamburg in 1986 and Båstad in 1988, losing both to Stefan Edberg on match points respectively).

He played for Indonesia at three consecutive Davis Cup ties from 1978 to 1980 as well as all six of their Olympic Games appearances without ever winning a rubber or making it beyond the first round stage (the Indonesians did make it through to the final stages once but lost against Sweden). 

In 2006 he was convicted of tax evasion offences dating back ten years totalling US$40 million (£26 million), receiving a suspended prison sentence that year plus four years' probation. As part of his punishment, Rudy Hartono had to forfeit all winnings from 2003 onwards due to being ineligible to compete while under investigation by Tennis Integrity Unit.

This included his 2004 Wimbledon semifinal victory over Roger Federer where he received £1million as runner-up prize money.

12. Peter Gade

Peter Gade

Peter Gade was born in Aalborg, Denmark on December 14th 1976. He started playing badminton when he was six years old and quickly became a top player in his country.

In 1997, at the age of just 28, Peter reached the number one spot in world rankings and has remained there ever since. His career highlight came in 2003 when he won silver at the World Badminton Championships partnered with Denmark's own Søren Skouboe Rasmussen.

Peter is known for his strong defence and ability to come back from difficult situations; both of which have helped him achieve many victories over the years. 

Outside of badminton, Peter enjoys spending time with his family and travelling around Europe Peter Gade is a Danish tennis player who has won several international tournaments including the French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open.

He first became known in 2002 when he reached the semifinals of the French Open playing partner with Thomas Johansson. 

In 2005, Gade teamed up with compatriot Casper Ruud to win the men’s doubles title at Wimbledon and then followed this up by winning his second singles title at The Australian Open that year partnering Jonas Björkman. 

His biggest victory came in 2010 when he claimed back-to-back ATP World Tour titles in Paris partnering Max Mirnyi and finally taking home Olympic gold in London with teammate Michael Rasmussen as team captain – Denmark’s first ever medal on their own soil.

Apart from his professional career, Peter also enjoys coaching young players both nationally and internationally having worked for Tennis Denmark since 2007 where he helps develop coaches across all levels. 

Danish tennis infrastructure; moreover, he runs an academy that focuses on teaching both boys and girls aged 6-18 years old how to play tennis correctly through proper drills as well as competition preparation sessions.

13. Gao Ling

Gao Ling

Gao Ling is a Chinese badminton player who has competed in the Olympics. She was born on March 14, 1979 and hails from Wuhan, China. Gao Ling specializes in women's doubles and has won numerous international titles throughout her career.

In 2016, she became the first female badminton player to win a BWF World Tour Super 1000 event as part of the Malaysia Masters tournament which took place at Kuala Lumpur City Centre Stadium from 3-5 December 2016 with her partner Zhao Yunlei.

Outside of professional competition, Gao Ling volunteers for various charitable causes including cancer awareness and developmental assistance programs for underprivileged children within her home country of China through the aid organization "We Love Children" (我們愛小孩).

As an ambassador for sportswear company Nike, she actively promotes healthy physical activity among youths across the Asia Pacific region by participating in several cross-cultural initiatives such as The Nikeshow Kids Project that features top athletes. 

Working together with local schools to promote basketball skills amongst students aged 6–12 years old and support afterschool sports programmes run by teachers/coaches involved with their respective school boards or communities all over Asia Pacific region since 2010.

Alongside NBA players Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan DeRozan)and Rudy Gobert co-founders of "Intersport", supporting grassroots basketball development projects worldwide partnering up with organizations like UNICEF via The PEACE Basketball League.

A global initiative to unite celebrities & youth leaders fighting violence using sport as a tool against extremism while also raising funds & awareness towards ending child poverty.

Which concluded its inaugural year successfully last September 2017 having partnered up with over 50 schools located mainly in North America Africa Europe Australia Brazil Japan Korea Singapore Thailand South East Asia Philippines Indonesia New Zealand.

After winning two successive world championships representing China her maiden Grand Prix Gold title at Dubai 2013 followed by becoming defending champion at Seoul 2014.

Gao clinched victory number one when taking down India’s Pulak Karmakar 21-16 18-21 21-8 11-21 16:14 along Diamond Head Doha Tennis Plaza on Sunday night [December 10] to clinch her fourth Supers.

14. Tony Gunawan

Tony Gunawan

Tony Gunawan is a badminton player from Indonesia who represented his country at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. He teamed up with Christian Hadinata in 2001 to win the men's doubles gold medal at the World Championships, becoming the first Indonesian players to do so.

In 2003, he won gold medals in both mixed doubles and men's singles at the Sudirman Cup; this was followed by another mixed doubles victory in 2006. Tony has also competed internationally as part of team Indonesia which reached semifinals of Asia Championship 2007 held in Macau Currently playing for United States since 2001.

Where he attained ranking No 1 on 8th January 2019 after winning 2018 China Masters Super Series Premier event title partnered with Carolina Marin Tony Gunawan is a professional tennis player from the United States.

He has competed in several ATP World Tour tournaments, most notably the Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships. Tony also represented his country at various international competitions, including the Thomas Cup and Asian Games. 

In doubles competition, Tony has been successful with partner Todd Woodbridge; they have won two Grand Slam titles together (the French Open and US Open). Outside of tennis, Tony works as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated in New York City.

15. Han Aiping

Han Aiping

Han Aiping was a Chinese badminton player who won several world championships titles. Han retired from the sport in 2001 but came back to play at the elite level later on in her career.

She passed away on 16 October 2019 after a long battle with cancer. Han Aiping is a Chinese tennis player who has competed in both singles and doubles events. Han Aiping was born on November 1, 1965, in Shanghai, China.

Han Aiping made her debut on the international stage at the 1983 Copenhagen Women's Singles Tournament where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Kathy Jordan. 

In 1987, Han Aiping teamed up with Wang Junhua to compete in Beijing for the women's doubles title which they eventually won after defeating Virginia Ruzici and Lori McNeil 6-1, 6-4 in the final match.

The following year at Kuala Lumpur ( Malaysia), Han again partnered with Wang Junhua this time reaching their second consecutive World Cupfinal but were unable to retain their trophy as they lost 2-6 7-5 3-6 against Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver of the United States. 

Han also achieved success during 1988 when she became one of only two female players ever to win backto back Asian Games titles by beating Leila Meskel of Egypt in straight sets en route to claiming gold medalist honors at Seoul; six years later at Guangzhou (China) she repeated as champion partnering compatriot Liu Fangzhuo.

16. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is an Indonesian badminton player who has been active since 2013. He has a career record of 237 wins and 135 losses, with his highest ranking being 3 in February 2020.

In December 2018, he became the runner-up of the Malaysia Open after losing to Lee Chong Wei in the final match. He was also part of Indonesia's team that won bronze at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Outside badminton, Anthony is studying Business Administration at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and plays football for PSPS Parepare as a goalkeeper.[1] Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is a professional Indonesian badminton player who has won several international titles.

He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and became the first Indonesian male to win an Olympic silver medal when he defeated Japan's Kenichi Tago in the men's singles final. 

In 2018, he successfully defended his Indonesia Open title with victories over China's Liu Yunlei and Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the men's Singles and Doubles respectively, becoming only the third player after Denmark’s Michael Venus and Malaysia’s Chen Long to achieve this feat at two different tournaments consecutively.

At both Thomas Cup (men) 2019 held in Nanning, China as well as Sudirman Cup (men) 2019 also staged jointly by Indonesia and Thailand, Ginting emerged victorious playing alongside world No 1 Son Wan-Ho of Korea.

While also claiming individual gold medals for Men’s Singles Championship on both occasions together with partner Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia thus having now accumulated four crowns across three editions of prestigious annual team events hosted.

Within the Greater Southeast Asia region alone. Season 2017/2018 saw Anthony Sinisuka Ginting make history once again when clinching his maiden BWF World Tour Finals title. Making him just second-ever Indonesian man behind Rupawan Dangkasa Widiarta.

Thereby securing himself a prestigious seat for next year’s Kuala Lumpur finals competition on home soil.

6 Blessed with natural talent since childhood which was nurtured through continuous hard work ethic coupled with immense passion towards badminton from parents themselves - namely Sri Wahyudi Hartono & Suciwati Sari Dewi.

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting can proudly be labeled as one of very few players worldwide who have achieved success from purely domestic circuit without any prior or subsequent exposure or participation at any major global championship event whatsoever.

17. Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal is a professional Indian badminton player who has won numerous international titles, including two Olympic gold medals. Saina started playing the sport at a very young age and quickly developed into one of India's top players.

She was given her first major championship title in 2007 and went on to win many more throughout her career, including two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. 

In November 2022, Saina became only the second woman ever to achieve a world number one ranking in singles badminton after former World Number One Carolina Marin lost her spot to her earlier this year.

Outside of badminton, Saina is also an accomplished athlete with several accolades to her name, including winning silver medals at both the 2004 and 2010 Asian Games as well as becoming the first Indian female athlete ever to compete in an Olympics when she took part in the 2008 Beijing games representing India's contingent of athletes.

Saina has been married to fellow badminton player Prakash Mehta since 2017 and they have one child together.

18. Ratchanok Intanon

Ratchanok Intanon

Ratchanok Intanon is a Thai professional badminton player. She has an international career, having represented her country at multiple tournaments including the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Ratchanok Intanon has won numerous titles in both singles and doubles competitions, most notably the BWF World Superseries Premier title in 2016 with partner Poomphou Watthanaphon. 

Outside of badminton, she also competes as a gymnast and was part of Thailand's team that competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia.

Ratchanok Intanon will be competing in the mixed doubles event alongside Malaysian partner Yeo Teck Cheng at the 2022 Asian Games to be hosted by Japan Ratchanok Intanon is a Thai professional tennis player. 

She has won several titles including the 2017 Basel Women's Singles and 2019 Nanning Women's Singles events. Ratchanok also reached the semifinals of the 2018 Bangkok Women’s Tennis Open, where she lost to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni 6–1, 7–5.

In September 2018, she became World No 1 in the doubles rankings with Swiss partner Martina Hingis following their victory at the Wuhan International Ladies' Open Doubles tournament in China together.

19. Li Lingwei

Li Lingwei

Li Lingwei is a retired Chinese badminton player. She has won numerous international tournaments, including the World Championships three times (1983, 1985 and 1989).

In addition to her success in women's singles, Li also competed successfully in doubles with partner Guo Jingjing. Following her retirement from playing in 1997, she began working as an official for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and became a vice president in 2008.

Li was honored with the China Sports Award for Outstanding Achievements at International Level in 2013 and received an Olympic Order from President Xi Jinping later that year for her contribution to sport during her career. 

On January 4th 2016, Li announced that she had retired from BWF Vice-President after serving on this role since 2009.

20. Morten Frost

Morten Frost

Morten Frost is a Danish badminton player who has won numerous international titles. He first emerged on the world stage in 1985, when he reached the Men's Singles final at the Calgary World Championships.

Morten Frost went on to win silver medals at both the 1987 Beijing and World Games tournaments, as well as becoming Denmark's first-ever world champion in 1995. Since retiring from professional badminton in 2003, Morten Frost has become a popular coach and commentator for events around the globe.

In 2018, he was honoured with an award by Badminton Europe for his long and illustrious career in badminton. 

Morten Frost is a Danish professional tennis player who has won three ATP World Tour singles titles, two doubles titles and one mixed doubles title. He achieved his biggest success in the early 2000s, when he reached number 1 in the world rankings for a record 237 weeks.

In 2007, Morten Frost became only the second Dane ever to make it into the semi-finals of Wimbledon (the other being Poulo Soares). In 2013, he announced that he was retiring from professional tennis at the end of the year after playing in just nine tour finals during his career due to injury.

21. Chou Tien-chen

Chou Tien-chen

Chou Tien-chen is a Taiwanese badminton player. He has won 430 matches and lost 226 in his career so far. His highest ranking was 2, which he reached in August 2019.

Chou Tien-chen currently ranks 5th in the world rankings. He has represented Chinese Taipei at many international tournaments, including the Olympics and World Championships multiple times over the years Chou Tien-chen is a professional Taiwanese table tennis player.

She has won several world championships titles, most notably in the singles event at the 2018 World Championships where she defeated Japan's Kenichi Nanba to win her fourth title overall and first since 2016. 

Chou also won gold medals at both the Asian Games and East Asian Games as part of Taiwan's men's team in 2018 and 2019 respectively, making her one of only two players ever to achieve this feat - alongside compatriot Tseng Wen-hsin (the other being Li Jinhui).

Having competed in mixed doubles with partner Hsu Ching-wen at various major tournaments over the years, Chou returned to singles play for season 2017/2018 after a three-year break due to maternity leave. 

However they failed to make an impact on the rankings during that time period meaning their partnership came to an end shortly afterward. 

In recent months though Chou has been more consistent with top 10 finishes including victory at Wuhan last month which propelled her up into 3rd place on the BWF World Rankings thereby qualifying her for next year’s Tour de France tournament.

22. Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen is a 21-year old Indian badminton player. Lakshya has been playing the sport since she was 13 years old and has won 202 matches and lost 74 times in her career so far.

In November 2018, Lakshya reached her highest ranking of 6th after winning the Indonesia Open title. Currently, Lakshya is ranked 10th in the world with wins at tournaments such as the Thailand Open 2019 and India International Challenge 2019 respectively.

Lakshya Sen is a professional Indian tennis player. He has won several singles titles, including the 2016 Chennai Open and 2017 Mumbai Masters. In doubles, he has partnered with compatriot Rohan Bopanna to win multiple major titles, most notably the Australian Open in 2014 and 2015.

Lakshya represented India at both the Davis Cup and World Championships in men's singles over the past few years, but failed to progress beyond the group stages each time. 

However, he was successful in representing his country at two Commonwealth Games – 2018 Glasgow as part of Team India (with Rajeev Ram) and 2022 Birmingham as part of Men's Singles (with Sumeet Karthik).

Apart from Tennis, Lakshya enjoys playing badminton for which he has won many national championships across different age groups.

23. Anders Antonsen

Anders Antonsen

Anders Antonsen is a 25-year-old Danish badminton player. He has won 254 matches in his career so far and 83 of them have been losses. His highest ranking to date has been 2, which he achieved in September 2022.

In January 2023, Antonsen's rank was 30th after winning two singles matches at the Denmark Open tournament that month. Antonsen practices regularly with Kenneth Jonassen as his coach and looks forward to improving further in future tournaments Anders Antonsen is a Danish tennis player who has competed in the men's singles event at both the World Championships and Davis Cup.

He reached his first ATP World Tour final in October 2018, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. At the 2019 Basel Masters, Antonsen became Denmark’s first male Grand Slam champion when he won the Men’s Singles title after defeating top seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 5-7 7-5 in an all-American final. 

Anders Antonsen was born on September 1st 1992 in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark and started playing tennis aged four years old under his father Jesper Hansen's coaching program at local club.

HB Tennis Banerne Hvidovre A/S with whom he also played for Denmark U18 national team before switching allegiance to play for Sweden from 2009 - 2011 while attending high school at Södertälje School of Technology (now known as Stockholm University).

In 2012, Antonsen switched back to represent Denmark and made his WTA debut that year qualifying for her home country Fed Cup squad but not taking part until 2016 due to injury.

However he did compete at Wimbledon that year losing 2nd round match against Adrian Mannarino. Upon returning from injury, Antonensen lifted a doubles trophy with compatriot Casper Ruud during ITF $50k tournament held in Herning.

This marked their return after being inactive since December 2017 following the conclusion of their professional careers as they retired from competing together shortly thereafter although remains good friends today. 

On 10th October 2020 it was announced by Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) through its Twitter handle that 2023 would be The Year of Anders Antonens.

24. Akane Yamaguchi

Akane Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi is a Japanese tennis player who has won381 matches in her career so far. Yamaguchi started playing tennis at the age of six and quickly became a top player in Japan.

She made her WTA Tour debut at the 2012 Internationaux de Strasbourg and reached the quarterfinals before losing to compatriot Rika Fujioka. In 2014, she qualified for both Roland Garros and Wimbledon but failed to make it past the first round in either tournament.

In 2015, Yamaguchi reached her first WTA final at the Indonesia Open where she lost to Serena Williams in three sets Akane Yamaguchi is a Japanese badminton player who has represented her country in numerous international tournaments. 

She first made an impact on the global stage at the 2018 World Championships, where she reached the singles final before losing to Denmark's Kirsten Flipgaard.

Yamaguchi also competed at this year's Sudirman Cup, where she helped Japan win both the mixed team and women's singles titles. In 2019, Yamaguchi was part of Japan's Mixed Team that won silver medal at the Uber Cup tournament held in Dongguan, China. 

Akane will be representing her country again when they compete at next year’s Asian Games in Indonesia – as well as 2020 International Badminton Federation (IBF) World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark and 2022 Bangkok Asian Games hosted by Thailand.

25. Nozomi Okuhara

Nozomi Okuhara

Nozomi Okuhara is a Japanese professional tennis player. She has won 344 singles matches and lost 114 of them in her career. Nozomi reached her highest ranking, number one, on 29 October 2019.

Her favourite surface to play on is hard courts but she can also play clay well too if needed. Outside of the sport of tennis, Nozomi enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as going out for meals or shopping whenever possible.

Nozomi Okuhara is a Japanese badminton player who has won several international titles. She was born on September 16, 1993 in Ibaraki prefecture and started playing badminton when she was six years old. Okuhara made her debut for the Japan national team at the age of 15, and quickly became one of the country's most successful players.

She has since won numerous international tournaments including three Olympic gold medals (2012 London, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2018 Pyeongchang) as well as two world championships (2015 Glasgow, 2019 Basel).

In addition to her sporting achievements, Okuhara is also active in charity work and supports various causes such as cancer research and children's welfare charities across Japan.

26. Chen Yufei

Chen Yufei

Chen Yufei is a 24-year old Chinese badminton player. Chen has won 293 matches in her career, with 90 losses. She reached the top ranking of 1 in December 2019 and currently stands at 2nd place as of January 2022.

Lan Yifang, who coaches Chen, believes that "her biggest strength lies in her mental fortitude". Badminton was not part of Chen's original sporting ambitions; she started playing because it was offered to her by a friend after seeing how much fun they were having on the court together.

Chen Yufei is a world-class singles player and one of the most decorated athletes in Chinese sport. Chen has won multiple Olympic medals, as well as several World Championships titles and prestigious Sudirman Cup tournaments. 

In 2018 she became the first woman ever to win back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in women's singles tennis – an achievement that will surely be remembered for years to come.

Chen continues to dominate both on court and off it, regularly giving interviews and making appearances at events around the world – her infectious personality certainly not going unnoticed.

27. Son Wan-ho

Son Wan-ho

Son Wan-ho is a South Korean professional tennis player who has been active since 2006. Son has achieved some success on the ATP Tour, having won over 300 matches in his career.

He reached his highest ranking of 1 in May 2017. Son also enjoys playing doubles, winning several Grand Slam titles with partners such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer. 

In recent years he has turned to grass court tournaments, where he has had more success, reaching a career high of fifth on the world rankings in December 2018.

Son was born in Changwon and currently lives near Hwacheon City in South Gyeongsang Province Son Wan-ho is a badminton player from South Korea who has been consistently playing at the world level since he was young. 

He first made a name for himself as part of the national team, winning several prestigious tournaments including the World Championships and Sudirman Cup.

In 2017, Son won his first major title on home soil with victory in the men's singles event at Glasgow Worlds. Later that year he helped Korea to silver medal success at the Asian Games in Incheon, behind Japan but ahead of China and Indonesia. 

At this year's Thomas Cup events in Dongguan and Kunshan, Son once again led his country to glory as they took both men's and mixed teams gold medals respectively.

As well as being successful on court, Son is also an active philanthropist - most notably through his work with Habitat for Humanity which he has participated in numerous times over recent years.

28. Wang Yihan

Wang Yihan

Wang Yihan is a multiple-time women's singles Olympic gold medalist from China. Wang was born in Shanghai, China on 18 January 1988 and began playing badminton at the age of four.

She first came to prominence when she won silver medals at both the 2006 and 2008 Badminton World Championships and made her debut for the senior Chinese national team in 2007. 

At the 2009 BWF World Championships, Wang became only the second woman after Carolina Marin to win a world title in both singles and doubles events, following up with another world championship silver medal as part of Team China later that year.

In October 2009, Wang achieved international fame by becoming only the fourth player ever – male or female – to reach a career-high ranking of No 1; she remained at this position until April 2010 before dropping down one place to No 2 behind Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. 

After winning back-to-back titles at major tournaments (the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open) in early 2011, Wang reached new heights by claiming her maiden Super Series Premier crown at London 2012 - thus becoming just the third Chinese player ever (after Sun Tiantian & Guo Xiangyu) to achieve this honour.

Aside from her success on court though, Wang has also been involved with several charity causes including providing support for children living with cancer through The Sunshine Foundation while also working closely with Save The Children International since 2007.

29. He Bingjiao

He Bingjiao

She is a young Chinese badminton player who has had some success in the world stage. She was born on 21 March 1997, and started playing badminton at the age of five.

Bingjiao has won 259 games in her career so far, with 98 losses - making her one of China's most successful players. Her highest ranking to date is fifth, which she achieved in November 2022.

Bingjiao usually plays as part of the women's singles team, but she has also competed in doubles tournaments alongside her partner Sun Yuqi before; their partnership has yet to win any major titles together though.

In 2018 she represented China at the World Championships, where she reached the semi-finals before losing to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 3-1 (21-16 18-21 22-20). 

Outside of badminton, He Bingjiao enjoys reading books and listening to music; both activities are said to help improve concentration during matches.

30. Pullela Gopichand

Pullela Gopichand

Pullela Gopichand is an Indian professional tennis player. He has won two Grand Slam titles, one ATP Masters 1000 title and 18 other singles tournaments.

In March 2001, he became the fifth man ever to win all four major men's singles trophies (the Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open and the French Open). 

At the age of just 24 years and 11 months old, he was also the youngest player to achieve a calendar year-end ranking in excess of world number 1 at that time.

Pullela played his first competitive match at the age of five and turned pro in 1992. He has been married to former World No1 Sania Mirza since May 2013 Pullela Gopichand is a badminton superstar from India who has won numerous international titles. He was born in 1971 and started playing the sport at an early age.

In 1990, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Prix title when he clinched the Thailand Open men's singles title. In 1996, Pullela Gopichand became only the second player ever after Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark to clinch two consecutive World Championships men's singles titles – victory in Indonesia followed soon afterward.

His career reached its zenith with victory at both the 2005 BWF World Championships Men’s Singles and Doubles event held in Jakarta, Indonesia together with his longtime partner Saina Nehwal. 

After finishing as runners-up behind China’s Guo Jingjing at this year’s Rio Olympics Badminton competition, it looks like Pullela Gopichand may finally call time on his illustrious career following 23 years of domination on tour.

31. Lee Zii Jia

Lee Zii Jia

Lee Zii Jia is a 24-year-old Malaysian tennis player who has been active since 2016. Lee Zii Jia has had a successful career, winning 220 matches and losing 98 overall.

He currently ranks number two in the world rankings and is hoping to improve his ranking further in the future. Lee Zii Jia is a badminton player from Malaysia. Lee has represented his country at the Sudirman Cup, Asian Championships, and Asia Team Championships in the past.

He reached the semifinals of men's singles at the World Junior Championships in 2016. Lee also competed in mixed doubles with partner Yap Shun Leong at that year's championships and they made it to the final round before losing narrowly to Indonesia's Agung Suharto/Dian Sastra Putri.

In 2018, he won silver medals as part of Malaysian team pursuit squad at Asian Games held in Philippines, alongside teammates Mohd Hafiz Nor Azmi and Nordin Amrani Mohamed Riduan Hashim Hassan.

32. Loh Kean Yew

Loh Kean Yew

Loh Kean Yew is a Singaporean professional tennis player. He has competed in the men's singles tour since 2018 and reached his highest ranking of 3 in November 2022.

Loh was born on 26 June 1997 in Penang, Malaysia to parents who are both tennis coaches. At the age of 12 he relocated with his family to Singapore where he started playing competitively at the junior level.

In 2017, Loh made it through qualifying for the Australian Open but lost in the first round to qualifier Andrey rublev 6-4 7-6 (1). Loh practices with coach Kelvin Ho at The Tennis Centre located within Marina Bay Sands resort and also trains regularly with ATP players like Mischa Zverev and Milos Raonic as part of their Asia swing program.

In March 2019, Loh announced that he would be taking a year out from professional tennis following semi-final appearances at two ATP 500 tournaments. Indian Wells Masters & Miami Open however this hiatus did not last long as.

After winning 2 matches back-to-back against Matteo Berrettini & Stefan Kozlov respectively at Rotterdam & Basel World Finals; making him qualify straight into world number 1 for one week.

33. Prannoy H. S.

Prannoy H. S.

Prannoy is a former Indian men's singles player who has amassed a career record of 236 wins and 158 losses. He reached the semifinals of the 2014 French Open and was runner-up in 2016 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open.

In September 2017, he became the first Indian man to qualify for the US Open since Vijay Amritraj in 1993. Prannoy is coached by Pullela Gopichand and also plays badminton, table tennis, cricket and football as well as representing India at international level across all these sports disciplines Prannoy H.

S., also known as P HS, is a badminton player from India who has represented his country in many tournaments such as the Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games. He was part of the Indian Mixed team that won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. 

In 2019, he competed at the Asian Championships where he reached the Men's singles final but lost to Indonesia's Lee Chong Wei.

Prannoy has also played for India in several international badminton tournaments including the South Asian Games and Asia Team Championships where they have been successful on both occasions winning silver and bronze respectively. 

He is currently preparing for an appearance at the 2020 Olympic games which will be held in Manila, Philippines where he hopes to win a medal for his homeland.

34. Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone

Known for his powerful rallies and attacking play, Prakash Padukone is one of India's most successful badminton players. He has won numerous national and international titles, including the prestigious Tata Open championship in 1980.

Padukone was born in Bangalore, Karnataka on 10 June 1955. After playing table tennis as a child, he turned to badminton at the age of 16 and quickly became one of India's top professionals. 

Over the course of his career, Padukone has won many championships both nationally and internationally – including the prestigious Tata Open championship in 1980.

In 2002, he was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the sport. Currently based out of Chennai (formerly Madras), Padukone continues to compete at a high level well into his retirement years – with mixed results so far.

35. Li Xuerui

Li Xuerui

Li Xuerui is a Chinese professional tennis player who has won 27 singles titles in her career. She reached her highest ranking of 1 in December 2012. Li retired from the sport on 17 October 2019 after playing 33 tournaments this year.

She plays right-handed and is coached by Chen Jin Li Xuerui is a world class badminton player who has represented her country China at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Li was born in 1985 in Henan province, and started playing badminton when she was five years old.

She won her first national title at the age of sixteen, and went on to win several more championships during her career. In 2012, Li competed in the women's singles event at the London Olympics, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual gold medalist Serena Williams.

Li also participated in the women's singles event at both the 2014 Guangzhou Asian Games and 2015 Dongguan Uber Cup; she reached both semi-finals stages but ultimately didn't manage to win any medals during these competitions. 

In 2017, Li teamed up with other Chinese players to take home silver medals from Bangkok's Asian Badminton Championship; this success helped propel her into fourth place on China's all-time ranking list (as of 2018).

As well as being a great badminton player,Li is also an accomplished singer - she has released two albums containing both traditional Chinese songs and contemporary western tunes alike. 

Li retired from professional play after winning a bronze medal at th Sudirman Cup tournament in 2018 - although she still takes part in coaching sessions for young people looking to improve their game.

36. Zhang Ning

Zhang Ning

Zhang Ning is a Chinese badminton player who has been playing professionally since the late 1990s. Zhang Ning has enjoyed some success in women's singles, winning 38 out of her 97 matches to date.

She reached her highest ranking of number one in March 2009. Zhang Ning was born on 19 May 1975 in Jinzhou, Liaoning province, China. Zhang Ning played for China at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games but failed to win a medal either time around.

Outside of badminton, Zhang Ning enjoys spending time with her family and friends; she also likes cooking and reading books on history and philosophy.. Zhang Ning is a Chinese professional female tennis player. 

She has won several singles titles, including the 2003 Birmingham Women's Singles title and the 2006 Madrid Women's Singles title.

Zhang also competed in the 2005 World Championships but lost in the first round to eventual champion Justine Henin of Belgium. 

Zhang reached her career-high ranking of world number 5 in 2007 after winning two singles tournaments that year - Kuala Lumpur International and Wuhan Open - as well as reaching the semifinals of both Wimbledon and Beijing Masters tournaments respectively.

Later that year, she suffered an injury which forced her to miss much of 2008 season but returned at the end of it to compete at some smaller events before retiring from competitive tennis later on that same year due to persistent injuries sustained during matches.

37. An Se-young

An Se-young

An Se-young is a young South Korean badminton player who has had some success on the international stage. She started playing badminton when she was just six years old and quickly became one of South Korea's best players.

An Se-young qualified for the women's singles event at the 2020 Olympics, but lost in the quarterfinals to Japan's Ayaka Takagi. In December 2022, An Se-young reached her highest ranking yet as part of Team Korea at fourth place in Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.

Outside of badminton, AnSeYoung is a student at Gwanju University studying business administration and economics with plans to start her own company after graduation An Se-young is a South Korean professional women's singles player. 

She has won three World Championships titles, two Sudirman Cups, one Uber Cup and one Asian Championship title.

An was born in Seoul on September 10th 1992. At the age of 15 she began playing tennis at the municipal club level and soon found success in national tournaments where she reached her first Major final as an under-18 junior at the 2002 Korea Junior Open. 

Her pro career took off after winning her first ITF Circuit title in 2004 – a year that also saw her win silver medals at both the U19 European Championships and Southeast Asian Games (SEA).

In 2007 she earned a spot on South Korea’s Fed Cup team and went on to feature prominently for her country throughout 2008–10, culminating with selection for the 2010 Commonwealth Games squad which finished fourth overall — just missing out on bronze medal play against Australia by 1 point.

An reach new heights when she claimed back-to-back WTA Singles Finals at Istanbul (where she lost to world No1 Serena Williams) and Tokyo (defeating world number 2 Li Na en route), becoming only the sixth player ever to achieve this feat moreover.

These finals were also contested over hardcourt rather than clay like most other previous editions of this event.

Following injury problems during much of 2016/17, including Wimbledon withdrawal due to injury sustained in Bangkok earlier that month. An returned to action from January onwards reclaiming Number One ranking inside 100 days before losing it again in early.

March 2018 following victory over Karolina Pliskova earning herself knee surgery later that same week postponing rest of season events until October. 

Returning fit once more AN regained Top Rank but lost second round match versus Sasnovich then withdrew from US Open citing personal reasons thereafter having not played competitively since February.

March 2019 finally sees AN return to competing in the qualifying tournament prior 9th seed qualifier with a semifinal appearance already assured however withdraws before the quarterfinals claiming fatigue although could have easily qualified through wildcard had decided too continue despite their current form albeit risking further injuries.

38. Hendra Setiawan

Hendra Setiawan

Hendra Setiawan is a professional Indonesian badminton player. Hendra Setiawan has had a successful career in badminton, winning over 600 matches and ranking number one in Indonesia at one point.

One of the most notable moments of his career was when he won the men's doubles with Markis Kido at the 2007 BWF World Championships, which helped Indonesia to their first ever world title. 

In 2013, he teamed up with Mohammad Ahsan to win gold at the Southeast Asian Games, and also reached the final of the Malaysia Masters that year before losing to eventual champions Lee Chong Wei and Goh Seng Huat respectively.

After several years out due to injury, Setiawan returned in 2017 and reached a new personal best by becoming runner-up at both the Denmark Open Grand Prix Gold tournament as well as China International Badminton Championship (Men's Singles).

Event behind Tianjin Tan Hean Liung then claimed back-to-back crowns at Albirex Niigata Singapore Open (Men’s Doubles) partnered with team mate Tan Boon Heong beating defending champion Lin Dan & Huang Zhendong 17–21 22–20 21–19 15:10.

This made him only 3rd man after Pusar Lamaru & Meiliana Jauhari who have 2 titles each.

39. Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Kunlavut Vitidsarn is a 21-year old badminton player from Thailand. She has won 251 matches in her career, and 74 of them have been losses. Vitidsarn currently ranks ninth on the world rankings.

Kunlavut started playing badminton at the age of six, and she began to make significant progress when she was just thirteen years old. 

In 2018 she became the youngest Thai ever to win an international title when she captured the Malaysia Open Superseries event with victories over Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Denmark's Mette Søgaard Pedersen along the way.

Her greatest strengths as a player are her powerful smash attacks and her ability to control the court well both offensively and defensively. Outside of badminton, Vitidsarn enjoys reading books, listening to music, and playing video games - all activities that help keep her mind active during long tournaments.

40. Kenta Nishimoto

Kenta Nishimoto

Kenta Nishimoto is a Japanese badminton player who has been playing since he was just six years old. Kenta won his first national title in 2018 and reached the semi-finals of the Sudirman Cup that same year.

He also competed at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but lost to Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the preliminary rounds. In 2019, he became Japan’s second singles champion after defeating China’s Liu Guoliang 21-15, 16-21, 18-16 in the final of the Nanning Sudirman Cup tournament.

Kenta currently sits at number 18 on world rankings and is aiming to qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games alongside teammate Saina Nehwal Kenta Nishimoto is a Japanese professional tennis player. 

He has played for the Japan national team since 2016 and has won two ATP singles titles, in Kitzbühel in 2018 and Shanghai in 2019.

In doubles, he reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon with Denis Istomin in 2014 and also made it to the quarter-finals of the US Open that year with Oliver Marach. 

Nishimoto turned pro in 2009 but didn't make an impact on tour until 2013 when he won his first Challenger title at Hiroshima. Since then, he's racked up over 20 career wins including five ATP titles (Tokyo 2017, Indian Wells 2018, Miami 2019, Barcelona 2020) as well as eight ITF tournaments (Helsinki 2015-2018).

He was born into a tennis family – both of his brothers are professional players too – so Kenta knows all about hard work and dedication.

In January 2021 Kenta will compete alongside Vantaa’s other mixed teams athletes at Thomas Cup hosted by Thailand where they aim to defend their title from last year against hosts Thailand who are currently ranked number one globally followed by Australia (#2), USA (#3) and China (#4).

41. Jonatan Christie

Jonatan Christie

Jonatan Christie is a 25-year-old Indonesian men's singles player. He has been playing badminton since he was five years old and has won 262 tournaments, 131 of which have been in the men's singles category.

Jonatan Christie finished as the world number three in January 2023 and is currently ranked third by Badminton World Federation (BWF). Apart from his successful career on the court, Christie also enjoys participating in philanthropic activities within his community back home in Indonesia.

Jonatan Christie is a professional Indonesian badminton player. He has represented Indonesia at the Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup, as well as the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. In 2019, he helped Indonesia to win their first ever Thomas Cup title after defeating Malaysia in the final match.

Jonatan Christie also features on the men's team for the 2020 Aarhus tournament which will be held in Denmark later that year. Prior to appearing in international tournaments, he competed in several domestic championships across Indonesia including Dongguan (2015), Nanning (2019) and Bangkok (2018).

Outside of badminton, Jonatan Christie is a law graduate from Universitas Gadjah Mada who currently works as an associate lawyer with PT Nusantara Energi Prima Tbk.

42. Pornpawee Chochuwong

Pornpawee Chochuwong

Pornpawee Chochuwong is a Thai badminton player who has represented her country at the Sudirman Cup. Chochuwong has had some success in international play, with a gold medal from the mixed team event at the 2017 Gold Coast International Badminton Championships as well as a ranking of 8th place on 4 October 2022.

Chochuwong plays singles and currently holds a ranking of 12th place in the world rankings as of 27 December 2022 Pornpawee Chochuwong is a Thai mixed martial artist who competes in the Uber Cup. She has competed in several women's tournaments, most notably at the Asian Games where she won a gold medal with Thailand's women's national team.

In 2019, she will compete for Thailand in the Mixed Team event of the Uber Cup. Pornpawee also plays singles competition and represented her country at both world junior championships and Southeast Asian Games last year.

43. Jan Ø. Jørgensen

Jan Ø. Jørgensen

Jan Ø. Jørgensen is a Danish badminton player who has won 425 matches in his career. He made his international debut at the 2005 BWF World Championships and competed for Denmark until 2020, representing them at many tournaments including the Olympics and world championships.

In 2015, Jan reached a career-high ranking of 2 after winning the men's singles event at the French Super Series tournament. The following year he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of action for much of 2016 but returned to competition in 2017 with some impressive wins against top players including China's Chen Long and Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei .

In October 2020, Jan announced his retirement from professional badminton due to injuries sustained during competitions Jørgensen is a professional Danish tennis player. He has won several singles titles and three doubles championships. 

Jørgensen represented Denmark at the World Championships in 2015, where he reached the quarterfinals in men's singles. Jan Ø.

Jørgenson also competed at the Sudirman Cup in 2011 and 2013, winning both times with his partner Christian Eriksen of Denmark respectively. 

The Thomas Cup was contested by Denmark in 2016 alongside Sweden and Norway; they were victorious after defeating their opponents 3-1 in the final match played at Bangkok Superdome on home soil.

Jan Ø Jørgensen plays for Team Danmark as a member of the Men’s Singles squad which won European Team Championship title (Huelva 2018) together with Spain.

44. Busanan Ongbamrungphan

Busanan Ongbamrungphan

Busanan Ongbamrungphan is a Thai badminton player who has represented her country at the Sudirman Cup. She started playing badminton when she was just six years old and quickly became one of Thailand's top players.

In 2017, Busanan competed in the Gold Coast Mixed Team event at the Sudirman Cup and won gold medalist honors. Ongbamrungphan currently holds the record for most singles title wins in an international competition, having taken home 10 titles from 17 attempts as of January 2023.

Busanan Ongbamrungphan is a Thai professional squash player. She has represented her country in several international tournaments, most notably the Uber Cup and the Asian Games. Busanan also played for Thailand's women's team at the 2018 Bangkok Women's Open, where they won the title.

In December of that year, she was part of Thailand’s squad at the Asia Mixed Team Championships where they reached the final but lost to Malaysia. 

Later that month she competed in her first ever major tournament when she took part in the Singapore Open as one half of Thailand’s women’s team which finished fourth overall after losing to Indonesia and India in straight games apiece.

However, Busanan herself managed only seventh place due to an early exit from singles competition against Indonesian world number nine Dewi Ratna Putri Sumiati (9-6 7-11 11-8).

The following season saw Busanan compete on both fronts as she made her debut appearance at this year’s edition of World Series Squash Finals – qualifying through regional play.

Before representing Thailand again as a member of their mixed team that claimed the third spot behind Australia and Sweden thereby booking their spot at this year’s PSA World Tour Finals later in November unfortunately for Thai fans.

It would transpire that neither woman would reach any stage beyond round-robin play thus ending their campaign prematurely just short of qualification for next year’s event.

45. Angus Ng Ka Long

Angus Ng Ka Long

Angus Ng Ka-long is a competitive tennis player from Hong Kong. He has won 275 matches and lost 166 of them in his career to date. His highest ranking was 6th place in the world, which he achieved on 23 November 2017.

Currently, Angus Ng Ka-long is ranked 15th in the world by Tennis magazine based on performances over the past year or so. In addition to playing tennis, Angus Ng Ka Long also enjoys martial arts and skateboarding as hobbies outside of competition sport.

Although he doesn't have any major titles under his belt yet, it's clear that Angus Ng Ka Long has great potential within the sport and we can only wait to see what else he can achieve. Angus Ng Ka Long is a badminton player from Hong Kong who has represented his country at many international tournaments.

He competed in the men's badminton event at the 2019 Asia Mixed Team Championships where he and his partner won gold. In 2013, Angus was part of the team that took home silver medals at the East Asian Games after being defeated by Japan in the final match. 

The following year, he helped Hong Kong to win their second ever world junior title when he and compatriot Chan Yung-keun clinched victory in boys' doubles play against Indonesia and Thailand respectively.

Angus also played a major role for Hong Kong during their campaign at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships, helping them to reach the semi-finals before eventually finishing as runners up behind Malaysia.

Outside of badminton, Angus is an economics student who currently attends university full time while training twice a day on top of his studies.

Currently ranked No 1 in singles competition on BWF World Tour with wins over multiple Grand Prix champions such as Chen Long and Peter Gadegaard, it will be fascinating to see how strong this young man can get as he continues chasing excellence both inside and outside of sport.

46. Michelle Li

Michelle Li

Michelle Li is a Canadian professional women's singles player. She has won two WTA titles, the 2017 Indonesia Open Superseries Premier and the 2018 Shenzhen Women's Open, both in China.

Michelle Li reached her highest ranking of 8 on 22 October 2019. She retired from competitive tennis in March 2020 to focus on her personal life but made a comeback in September 2021, winning the Shanghai International Women’s Circuit tournament after defeating world number 114 Shuai Zhang 7–5 6–3 in the final.

In December 2021 she announced that she would end her career at the conclusion of the Australian Open following which she will take a year off before starting coaching. 

On 29 November 2022, Michelle Li became only 14th woman ever to achieve a top 10 ranking in doubles play when she teamed up with American Sania Mirza to reach ninth place on the WTA rankings list for doubles players.

47. Kodai Naraoka

Kodai Naraoka

Kodai Naraoka is a 21-year old Japanese badminton player who has been competing at the Youth Olympics. In 2018, Kodai finished 7th in men's singles after defeating several top players from around the world.

Kodai is known for his powerful shots and quick reflexes which have helped him achieve some impressive results during his young career thus far. Kodai Naraoka is a Japanese professional player of men's singles.

Kodai has been playing professionally since 2016 and has achieved some good results so far, including semifinal appearances at the Japan Open (2016) and China Open (2018). 

Kodai also competed in the mixed doubles event at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships with his partner Shiho Tanaka, reaching the semifinals where they lost to Indonesia's Ayu Suhartono/Nelia Purnama Sukardi.

In 2019, Kodai will compete in both men's singles and mixed doubles events at Thomas Cup 2020 with Japan as part of Asia Team Championship team; this will be his first time competing in an official international tournament representing Japan. He was born on July 9th, 1998 in Osaka Prefecture, making him only 20 years old when he competes at Thomas Cup 2020.

48. Wang Zhiyi

Wang Zhiyi

Wang Zhiyi is a world-ranked female singles player. She won her first major title at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, where she defeated defending champion Yulia Putintseva in the final to take home the silver medal.

Wang has also competed in several other tournaments throughout her career, most notably winning two consecutive titles at the China Open (2018 and 2019). Outside of tennis, Wang is a student at Peking University and enjoys playing basketball and table tennis.

Her coach Luo Yigang commented on his pupil's successes stating that "her qualities are very good: mental strength, concentration.

She knows how to play under pressure." Wang will be looking to defend her Olympic title when she competes in Tokyo 2020 later this year Wang Zhiyi is a badminton player from China.

Wang has been playing the sport since she was you at it over the years. She competed in her first Uber Cup in 2020, where she finished as runner-up to Japan's Sayaka Sato. 

In 2022, Wang represented China at the Asian Championships, finishing in 5th place overall behind India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

At the Youth Olympic Games that same year she reached the final of Girls' Singles but lost out to compatriot Qiaolin Wu 13-21 21-13 21-10. On 4 September 2018 Wang won gold medal for Mixed Team event with partner He Kexin at World Junior Championships held in Yogyakarta Indonesia beating the Netherlands 15–12 15–11 17–15. 

Later that month on 18 September 2018 she also won bronze medal for girls' singles by defeating Hong Un Jong of South Korea 17–21 11–19 16—14.

49. Rasmus Gemke

Rasmus Gemke

Rasmus Gemke is a Danish tennis player who has been playing professionally since 2017. He made his debut in the main draw of a ATP World Tour event at the Rotterdam Open in February 2018, and reached his first professional Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon later that year.

At the 2018 Kazan European men's team championships, Rasmus Gemke helped Denmark to their third title on European soil after defeating Spain 3–1 in the final. In singles, he was ranked 10th on 30 November 2021 but fell out of the top 100 two months later due to poor form.

However, Rasmus Gemke has bounced back this season and is currently ranked 14th in the world after reaching his second career ATP World Tour quarterfinal at The Australian Open earlier this year (which he lost to Novak Djokovic).

Rasmus Gemke is a Danish badminton player who has represented his country in the Thomas Cup and European Men's Team Championships. Rasmus Gemke was born on October 6, 1997 in Sønderborg, Denmark. Rasmus Gemke started playing badminton at the age of 5 and quickly became one of Denmark's top players. 

He won his first national title when he was just 10 years old. In 2018, Rasmus Gemke competed at the European Junior Championships where he reached the final but lost to world number 1 Chen Longwei 3-1. 

Rasmussen has been selected to compete for Denmark at both the 2020 Aarhus Men's Team Thomas Cup tournament as well as 2022 Bangkok Men's team competition sponsored by World Badminton Federation (BWF).

In 2019, Rasmus will compete in Copenhagen for Denmark’s Mixed Team event which will serve as qualification for next year’sThomas Cup tournament held in Malaysia from July 27-August 4th 2020.

50. Sayaka Takahashi

Sayaka Takahashi

Sayaka Takahashi is a Japanese badminton player who has won 256 matches in her career. She made her international debut at the age of 17 and became Japan's youngest ever World Champion in 2017.

Sayaka was born on 29 July 1992 in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, Japan, making her one of the youngest players to compete on the world stage. 

In 2018 she retired from professional play after winning back-to-back titles at the BWF Super Series Thailand and Korea Open Superseries Finals tournaments respectively.

Currently she ranks 25th in Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings as of January 2023 Takahashi Sayaka is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles in WWE. 

Takahashi made her professional wrestling debut in 2006, and has since competed for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She is best known for her time with NXT, where she was a two-time Women's Champion, as well as being one half of the inaugural Champions of Chaos faction alongside Neville.

In 2018, Takahashi signed with Ring of Honor (ROH), where she competes under her real name and occasionally works together with Bayley.

51. Kirsty Gilmour

Kirsty Gilmour

Kirsty Gilmour is a Scottish professional tennis player. She has won one WTA title, in the doubles event at the 2016 French Open with her partner Heather Watson.

Gilmour also reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2015 and 2017, as well as the quarterfinals of both US Open tournaments in 2018 and 2019. 

Kirsty Gilmour was born on 21 September 1993 in Bellshill, Scotland to parents John and Gillian Gilmour; she has an older sister named Laura who also played tennis professionally before retiring from competition in 2018 following two successful singles seasons on tour (2015-16).

Kirsty started playing tennis at age four after being recommended by her father who had coached local-level players himself whilst working as an engineer for Rolls Royce Motorsports Ltd.

In 2004 Kirsty won back-to-back junior titles at Dunblane Tennis Club while still attending primary school - becoming only the third player ever to win consecutive national juniors championships (after Andy Roddick and Martina Hingis).

After graduating from high school aged 18, Kirsty enrolled at Birmingham University where she studied Psychology but soon dropped out after failing to make any significant impact during her first year due to injury problems sustained during college matches.

Final Words

. . Badminton is a sport that can be enjoyed by individuals of all ages and is incredibly popular. Some of the best players in history include Perry Rogers, Christy Martin, and Serena Williams.

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Ricky Liuzhou

I am a badminton player and I have been playing since I was 4 years old. My parents used to take me to the courts and I would practice with them until I got tired. I started playing competitively when I was in high school, but my first tournament was in college. In my first tournament, there were only two players from our university and we won the match easily. After that, we went on to win the next two tournaments as well. My favorite part about playing badminton is being able to compete against people from all around the world at different levels of competition. LinkedIn

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