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Lin Dan
Born
Singles. Lin Dan combined left-handed attacking power with exceptional recovery: after a jump smash he was back in the centre in time for the reply, and his lunges to the net looked effortless. That balance of attack and coverage won him Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, five world titles and every major title in the sport. Watch how little time he spends off balance.
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Lee Chong Wei
Born
Singles. Lee Chong Wei was perhaps the fastest mover the men's game has seen, reaching the four corners with short, explosive steps and a very quick split step. He spent 349 weeks at world number one, but his rivalry with Lin Dan left him with three Olympic silver medals and no world title. His footwork is the best model for club players who want to reach the shuttle early rather than late.
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Rudy Hartono
Born
Singles. Rudy Hartono, from Indonesia, dominated the late 1960s and 1970s with speed, fitness and an all-court attacking game. He won the All England Championships, then the sport's most important event, eight times, seven of them in a row from 1968 to 1974, and became world champion in 1980. His record shows that movement was decisive even in the wooden-racket era.
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Morten Frost
Born
Singles. Morten Frost, nicknamed Mr Badminton in Denmark, played a patient, precise game built on near-perfect footwork and the ability to retrieve almost anything. He won the All England title four times in the 1980s and reached two world championship finals. He later worked as a coach and national technical director in Denmark and Malaysia, passing on a method that put movement before power.
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Taufik Hidayat
Born
Singles. Taufik Hidayat covered the court with anticipation rather than visible effort, reading opponents early and arriving balanced enough to play deceptive net shots or his famous backhand smash. That economy of movement won him Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 and the 2005 world title. He shows how good reading can make a player look slower than he really is.
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Peter Gade
Born
Singles. Peter Gade was the great European mover of the late 1990s and 2000s, with very fast footwork and a talent for disguise that kept opponents rooted while he covered the court. He won the 1999 All England title and became world number one, and he stayed near the top for more than a decade against the Asian powers. His deception and quick feet are worth studying together.
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Chen Long
Born
Singles. Chen Long built his game on long reach and relentless defence. He returned smashes deep, extended rallies and waited for opponents to tire, a method that won him the world title in 2014 and 2015 and Olympic gold in Rio in 2016, where he beat Lee Chong Wei in the final. He also took silver in Tokyo, showing how durable the approach was.
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Viktor Axelsen
Born
Singles. Viktor Axelsen, at 1.94 metres, showed that a tall player could also be quick, using long lunges to cut the court down and a steep smash to finish rallies. He won Olympic gold in Tokyo and again in Paris in 2024, world titles in 2017 and 2022, and spent 183 weeks at world number one. Back injuries forced him to retire in April 2026.
More about Viktor Axelsen9
Kento Momota
Born
Singles. Kento Momota, a left-hander, was the most complete defender of the late 2010s: he returned smashes low to the net and moved so smoothly that rallies seemed to bend towards him. He won the world title in 2018 and 2019, and in 2019 won a record 11 titles in a season. A serious car crash in 2020 interrupted his career, and he never fully regained that level.
More about Kento Momota10
Alex Lanier
Born
Singles. Alex Lanier is the young player now worth following. He moves with long, quick strides and turns defence into attack faster than most of his peers, and in 2026 he became the first French man to win the world singles title, beating Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in the final in New Delhi. His rise shows that European badminton can still produce world-class movers.
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Susi Susanti
Born
Singles. Susi Susanti was famous for her flexibility, often sliding into the splits to reach shuttles in the corners and then recovering instantly. That defensive range won Indonesia its first Olympic gold medal, in women's singles in Barcelona in 1992, and the 1993 world title. Her matches are a lesson in how retrieving can become an attacking weapon.
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Carolina Marín
Born
Singles. Carolina Marín, a left-hander from Huelva, moved with an intensity that broke the Asian hold on women's singles. Her explosive first step and willingness to attack from deep won her Olympic gold in Rio in 2016 and world titles in 2014, 2015 and 2018. A knee injury during the Paris semi-final in 2024 ended her career, and she announced her retirement in March 2026.
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An Se-young
Born
Singles. An Se-young is the best defender in women's badminton today. She covers the rear corners with remarkable reach, returns smashes from almost any position and outlasts opponents in long rallies. She won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 and world titles in 2023 and 2026, the second without dropping a game all week, beating Akane Yamaguchi in the final.
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Tai Tzu-ying
Born
Singles. Tai Tzu-ying covered the court differently: rather than outrunning opponents, she froze them with wrist deception, holding shots until the last moment so they moved the wrong way. That bought her time to reach the next shuttle comfortably. She won three All England titles, Olympic silver in Tokyo and spent long spells at world number one before retiring in November 2025.
More about Tai Tzu-ying15
Akane Yamaguchi
Born
Singles. Akane Yamaguchi, at about 1.56 metres, makes up for her height with astonishing speed between corners and the stamina to keep it up for long matches. She won the world title in 2021, 2022 and 2025, and reached the 2026 final. Her matches show how short, quick steps and anticipation can neutralise taller, more powerful opponents.
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Nozomi Okuhara
Born
Singles. Nozomi Okuhara is a tireless retriever who turns matches into tests of endurance. Her 2017 world final against P. V. Sindhu lasted 110 minutes, with one rally of 73 shots, and she won it to become Japan's first women's singles world champion. Her game shows the value of patience and consistent footwork over spectacular winners.
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Ratchanok Intanon
Born
Singles. Ratchanok Intanon combines quick, light footwork with soft wrist deception, so she reaches the shuttle early and then disguises where it is going. In 2013, at 18, she became the youngest women's singles world champion and Thailand's first, and she later reached world number one. Her matches are good viewing for players who rely on touch rather than strength.
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Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo
Born
Doubles, front court. Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo covered the net area with the fastest hands in men's doubles, intercepting drives and flicks that others would let pass. With Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, as the Minions, he spent years at world number one and won the All England title more than once. His anticipation at the net shows how front-court coverage creates chances for the partner behind.
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Hendra Setiawan
Born
Doubles, front court. Hendra Setiawan is known for calm, precise net play and reading the opponents' next shot. He won Olympic men's doubles gold in 2008 with Markis Kido and four world titles, the last in 2019 at 35 with Mohammad Ahsan, a pair nicknamed the Daddies. His longevity shows how anticipation can outlast raw speed.
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Lee Yong-dae
Born
Doubles, both roles. Lee Yong-dae could cover the net in mixed doubles and the back court in men's doubles, a rare range. At 19 he won Olympic mixed doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with Lee Hyo-jung, then became world number one in men's doubles with Yoo Yeon-seong. His quick rotations between front and back are a useful study in doubles movement.
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Zheng Siwei
Born
Mixed doubles, back court. Zheng Siwei covered the rear of the court in mixed doubles, where the man must reach every lift and smash steeply from both corners. His speed and power behind Huang Yaqiong won them world titles in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. Watch how quickly he returns to a central base after each smash.
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Huang Yaqiong
Born
Mixed doubles, front court. Huang Yaqiong controlled the net for Zheng Siwei, reading opponents' replies early and killing loose shuttles before they crossed the tape. That front-court coverage freed her partner to attack from behind, and together they won three world titles and Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. She is the clearest example on this list of coverage measured in centimetres rather than metres.
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