PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Viktor Axelsen’s fitness troubles have followed him into 2026.

The Danish ace has withdrawn from the Malaysian Open from Jan 6-11 at Axiata Arena and Indian Open from Jan 13-18 in New Delhi.

Axelsen’s name has been listed under “withdrawn” in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website.

The 31-year-old, who underwent back surgery in April, was restricted to only eight tournaments this year.

Axelsen last competed in the French Open in October where he went down to fellow Dane Anders Antonsen in the quarter-finals.

The two-time Olympic champion has seen his world rankings plummet to No. 30 due to his low number of tournament participation.

While the great Dane’s absence is a blow, the world’s top 10 players have all registered for the prestigious tournament.

All eyes will be on China’s world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi while Thailand’s world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Antonsen (No. 3), Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie (No. 4) and Yuqi’s teammate Li Shifeng (No. 5) will all also be strong contenders for the crown.

The other current top 10 players down to compete are Taiwan’s world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen, Frenchmen Christo Popov (No. 7) and Alex Lanier (No. 8), Japan’s Kodai Naraoka (No. 9) and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew (No. 10).