Badminton is one of the most commonly played sports worldwide.
And since this sport was included as an Olympic sport, its popularity has doubled, increasing the millions of fans worldwide.
Besides, this sport is governed and looked after by an authority known as BWF.
This authority provides the most ranking points to the players worldwide.
And according to the BWF ranking here, I have mentioned some top players in the world:
10 Famous Badminton Player in the World
Let’s begin with:
1. Lin Dan (China)
Date of Birth: 14 October, 1983
Country: China
Handedness: Left
Coach: Xia Xuanze
Lin Dan is a former Chinese professional badminton player.
He was born in Fujian, China.
At a young age, Lin’s parents forced him to learn Piano and become a Pianist, but he preferred to play this sport instead.
So he started his training sessions at the age of 5.
At age twelve, he won the national junior championship, after which he was scouted by the People’s Liberation Army Sports Team.
And in 2001, when he was 18, he was selected for the Chinese National Team, after which he started his international journey.
Career and Achievements
He is a two-time Olympic medalist, won five world championships, six times All England Championship, and 5 gold and 3 bronze medals in the Uber cup.
There is no international tournament in which Lin Dan didn’t participate or win.
Also, Lin Dan is the only player in history to complete a super grand slam at 28.
And he also won the Olympic gold medal in 2008 and 2012.
All experts and his fans consider Lin Dan one of the best players.
2. Taufik Hidayat (Indonesai)
Date of Birth: 10 August, 1981
Country: Indonesia
Handedness: Right
Coach: Mulyo Handoyo
Taufik Hidayat is a retired Indonesian badminton player.
He is a former world and Olympic champion in men’s singles.
Taufik Hidayat is also considered the closest rival to the dominating world champion, Lin Dan.
Also, many of his fans and experts appraise him as a legendary player in history.
Career and achievements
Taufik Hidayat won one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in the world championships.
Three gold, one silver, two bronze medals in Asian Games, and two gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.
Also, he won the Indonesia Open six times in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006, including 27 titles list during his career.
And he even holds the record for registering the fastest smash in history in the 2016 World Championship in singles with 305 km/hr.
3. Gao Ling (China)
Date of Birth: 14 March, 1979
Country: China
Handedness: Right
Coach: N/A
Gao Ling was born in the Hubei region of China.
She is one of the best doubles players in the history of women’s badminton.
Also, she had an amazing career in singles, according to her dominating gameplay.
She is also well known for her anticipation, consistency, gaming style, and sporting smile.
Gao Ling began her career at a very young age of, eight years, and won every title available in this sport.
Career and achievements
Gao Ling won four medals in the Olympics, including two gold, one bronze, and one silver.
She won four medals in world championships, five gold medals in the uber cup, three gold medals in the Sudirman cup, and one gold medal in the badminton world cup.
4. Saina Nehwal (India)
Date of Birth: 17 March, 1990
Country: India
Handedness: Right
Coach: Pullela Gopichand
Sania Nehwal is one of the best Indian professionals and most successful players.
She has won 24 titles, which include 10 super-series titles, and also represented her country, India, in the Olympics almost three times.
And won an Olympic bronze in her second appearance at London Olympics, which were held in 2012.
It made her the first Indian women’s player to win a medal in the Olympics and the first woman to win the BWF series.
She was awarded a gold medal in Common Wealth Games in 2010.
She even received Padma Bhushan (India’s third highest civilian award) from the Indian government.
Rather than this, she has achieved many milestones for India.
Career and achievements
Saina Nehwal began her international journey after winning the World junior championship in 2006. Also, she created history by winning the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament twice and became the first player to win this feat.
She won a gold medal in singles at the Commonwealth Youth championships.
In 2009 she won Indonesia Open and became the first Indian player to win BWF super series titles.
She also won the bronze medal in the Asian Championships and a bronze medal in 2012 at the London Olympics.
In 2014, she defeated Wang Yihan and won the Australian super series.
She won a bronze medal at the World badminton championship in 2017, and in 2018 she won two gold medals in singles and mixed doubles at Commonwealth Games.
5. Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
Date of Birth: 21 October, 1982
Country: Malaysia
Handedness: Right
Coach: Teh Peng Huat
Lee Chong Wei is a professional Malaysian badminton player.
He is the only player from Malaysia who held World No 1 ranking for more than a year.
Lee began to play this sport after inspiration from his father, Lee Ah Chai, who was a badminton player too.
And later, in February 2009, he was appointed by UNICEF Malaysia’s National Ambassador, after which he began his international journey.
On 9 November 2012, Lee married his teammate Wong Mew Choo.
Also, if you want to know more about Lee’s journey, then you can check out his autobiographies named:
- Lee Chong Wei: Rise of the Legend.
- Dare to be Champion.
Career and achievements
Lee Chong Wei won a gold medal in the Asian championship, two silver medals in Olympics, and three silver and bronze medals in the World championship.
Also, he won four gold medals in the Commonwealth games, one silver and three bronze in the Thomas cup, and one gold and silver in the Southeast Asian games.
6. Tony Gunawan (Indonesia)
Date of Birth: 9 April, 1975
Country: Indonesia
Handedness: Right
Coach: Herry Iman Pierngadi, Christian Hadinata
Tony Gunawan is an Indonesian-born American former professional badminton player.
He played for Indonesia at the start of his career and later went to play and coach the US after 2001.
Also, he was considered one of the best players in men’s doubles in badminton history.
Later on 29 July 2002, he married an Indonesian women’s double player, Etty Tantri.
Career and achievements
Tony Gunawan won a gold medal in Olympics for Indonesia, and later, he won the world championship for England.
He won a gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
In 2001 and 2005, he won the gold medal in the IBF world championships, gold in the Asian championship, and silver in the Asian cup and Southeast Asian games.
Rather than this, he won two gold medals in the Thomas cup and one silver and a bronze medal in the Sudirman cup.
7. Kento Momota (Japan)
Date of Birth: 1 September, 1994
Country: Japan
Handedness: Left
Coach: Yosuke Nakanishi
Kento Momota is a Japanese badminton player.
He belongs to Mino village of Kagawa district of Japan.
Momota is well known for his amazing skills and relentless playing style on the court.
And today, he is ranked as World’s No 1 singles player.
His career in this sport began when he studied in 2nd standard at an elementary school, where he used to participate in different tournaments.
But his international journey began in 2011 when he won a bronze medal in boys singles at Asian Junior Badminton Championship in Taipei.
In 2012, he won the title of Swedish Masters and Australian Internationals.
Career and achievements
Kento Momota has won many major tournaments, which include two Asian championship titles and one All England title.
He remained the world champion for two consecutive years, 2018 and 2019.
Rather than this, he won three silver medals at the Sudirman cup and one silver, one gold, and two bronze medal at the Thomas cup.
Momota also listed his name in the Guinness world record for “The most men’s singles titles in a season” for his achievements by winning 11 in the 2019 season.
8. Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
Date of Birth: 4 January, 1994
Country: Denmark
Handedness: Right
Coach: Henrik PK Rohde
Viktor Axelsen is a professional Danish badminton player who recently won the Malaysia Open titles in men’s singles 2022.
Axelsen began his journey at age six after his parents were divorced, and at the age of 17, he joined the national team.
After which, he won the National Junior Event in singles and doubles in 2006 and 2008.
Later in 2009, he began his international journey.
And today, with his efforts and success, he has put Denmark on the map in the realm of badminton tournaments.
Career and achievements
He won a bronze medal in Rio Olympics 2016 in men’s singles and a gold medal in Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Axelsen received a bronze and a gold medal in BWF World Championships.
He won 11 gold medals in European Championships, 2 in men’s singles, 4 in a mixed team, and 5 in men’s team.
Also, he received a gold and a bronze medal in the Thomas cup.
9. Chen Long (China)
Date of Birth: 18 January, 1989
Country: China
Handedness: Right
Coach: Zhang Jun
Chen Long is a Chinese professional badminton player born in Shashi District, Jingzhou, Hubei.
He was the former World No.1.
He occupied the top men’s singles ranking for 76 consecutive weeks from December 2014 to June 2016.
At a young age, he showed his talent, and after turning seven, he joined a sports school in Jingzhou in 1996.
Later he joined the Xiamen team, and in 2005 he was selected to join the national youth team.
And in 2006, he entered the second national team.
Chen Long began his international journey in 2007 when he played and won the Asian and World Junior championship.
In 2009 he played and won his first professional tournament at the Philippines Open.
Career and achievements
Chen Long won one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in Olympics in men’s singles.
He won two gold and two bronze medals in the World championships.
Also, five gold and one silver medal in the Sudirman cup, three gold and one bronze medal in the Thomas cup.
In Asian games, he won two gold and two silver medals, one gold, four silver, and three bronze medals in Asian Championships.
10. Peter Hoeg Gade (Denmark)
Date of Birth: 14 December, 1976
Country: Denmark
Handedness: Right
Coach: Lars Uhre
Another amazing player from Denmark who is well known for his brilliant footwork, pace, aggression, and court coverage.
He took retirement from this sport in 2012 after losing in the quarter-finals of the French Opens.
Peter Gade is also judged as the most technically gifted player.
He was also ranked as World’s No. 1 player from 1998 to 2001.
Also, he represented his nation for four consecutive years at Olympics from 2000-2012.
Career and achievements
He won five European titles, three gold medals in the European team championship, a silver medal and four bronze medals in the World Championships.
Also, he won the European Championship 13 times and brought gold home in all these 13 tournaments.
Rather than this, he also won two silver and three bronze medals in the Thomas Cup.
Final Words
So this is it, above I have listed down all the popular and top badminton players in the world who made their country proud.
They are idols of many rising players who have proven that hard work often pays off.
If you want to become a player like them, remember that nothing is impossible with the right mindset and hard work.
And in case you face any problems or have any questions in your mind regarding this post, then feel free to ask us or pin them up in the comment section below.