The Danish king Viktor Axelsen is not on the pitch but off the pitch, and this time he is not a player, but an owner

Axelsen is not on the field, but on the sidelines. Although Denmark's two-time Olympic champion and world champion Viktor Axelsen did not participate in the 2025 Malaysia Badminton Super 500 tournament due to back surgery in early April, he still came to the venue of the competition on the 22nd, Yatong Stadium.

On Thursday, Axelsen held an autograph session for its own brand VA at the venue outside the Yatong Stadium

Axelsen didn't set foot in the ring, but set up a booth outside the Atsu Stadium to host an autograph session for his own brand VA (Viktor Axelsen) at the carnival held in conjunction with the Malaysia Masters. This time Axelsen is not a player, but an owner.

Nearly 50 fans waited in the sun for Axelsen's arrival

Axelsen arrived at around 1:05 p.m. local time and waved to nearly 50 fans waiting in line under the sun, before starting an autograph session to sign his own T-shirts. In the Malaysia Badminton Super 1000 tournament in January this year, Axelsen also held an autograph session, which shows that he cherishes the opportunity to interact with Malaysian fans.

Fans "chased from IG posts to the scene" to see Axelsen's demeanor. A fan left a message on Axelsen's IG post on May 6, asking if Axelsen would participate in the Malaysia Masters, and the fan who was lucky enough to get Axelsen's reply message even took a screenshot of the post on this day and came to the scene to show Axelsen.

The fan, named Arif who showed his comments on Axelsen's IG post, got a screenshot of Axelsen's reply

The fan, named Arif, said he was in action at last year's Malaysia Masters final to watch Axelsen face off against Malaysian libero Lee Zi Jia, and said it was the most exciting match he had ever witnessed. Axelsen last competed at the European Championships in April, and has since been recuperating from back surgery.