Badminton · Level 7: Upper-Advanced · Sub-level 7.1
Men's Singles
10 tests · 100 facts · updated 29 October 2026 · markdown
Men's singles at the top level rests on speed and coverage: one player has to reach every corner of the court, and matches over three games often last more than an hour. Most top men serve low, usually with the backhand, because a high serve lets a strong smasher attack at once. Many rallies are decided at the net, where a tight net shot forces a lift, and the jump smash then adds steepness and pace to the attack. Tall players such as Denmark's Viktor Axelsen gain a steeper angle from a higher contact, while smaller, quicker players rely on movement, recovery and endurance, and excellent footwork is common to both.
The Olympic title went to Alan Budikusuma in 1992, Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen in 1996, Ji Xinpeng in 2000 and Taufik Hidayat in 2004. China's Lin Dan, a left-hander, then became the first man to win it twice, in 2008 and 2012, beating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in both finals; he also won five world titles between 2006 and 2013. Lee took silver three times and never won Olympic gold. Chen Long won in 2016, and Axelsen won in Tokyo, held in 2021, and in Paris in 2024. Since 2017 world titles have also gone to Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
The facts below cover the style of play and its tactics, the Olympic and world champions, the Danish tradition and the scoring changes, from 15-point games before 2006 to rally scoring to 21 from 2006 to 2026.
Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.
Test 1The men's singles gameTake a test
Speed and coverage alone.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Low serves stop the receiver attacking.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Strong smashers punish high serves.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Net control forces lifts.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Steep and fast.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 7 · recall
Time first.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Three-game matches often pass an hour.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Serve, net, lift, attack, finish.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
By speed.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 7 · recall
A steep smash in the air.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 7 · applied
Test 2Tall attackers and fast retrieversTake a test
Height steepens the attack.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Speed and agility.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Axelsen, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Deny the steep smash.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Retrievers punish impatience.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Endurance and consistency.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Footwork is universal.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 6 · recall
Deny height, then attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Patience, then attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Height gives a steeper angle.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Test 3Olympic champions from 1992 to 2004Take a test
Indonesia's Alan Budikusuma, Barcelona 1992.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Denmark's Høyer Larsen, Atlanta 1996.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
China's Ji Xinpeng, Sydney 2000.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, Athens 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1992 and 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Høyer Larsen won in Atlanta 1996.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
World champion in 2005.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1992, 1996, 2000, 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1992 to 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen of Denmark.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 4Olympic champions from 2008 to 2024Take a test
Beijing and London.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Tokyo and Paris.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2008 and 2012.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Tokyo 2020 took place in 2021.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2008, 2012, 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Axelsen beat the defending champion Chen Long.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2008, 2016, 2020.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2008 to 2024.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Axelsen won both.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 5Lin DanTake a test
Chinese.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2008 and 2012.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
A left-hander.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2008 and 2012 finals.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
A complete record of majors.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Announced in July 2020.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2008, 2012, 2020.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Lin Dan's five world titles.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 6Lee Chong Wei and a great rivalryTake a test
Malaysian.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2008, 2012 and 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Rio 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
He was world number one for years.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Repeated big finals.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Silver three times.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Measured by Hawk-Eye at the 2015 Hong Kong Open.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2008, 2012, 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2008, 2012, 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 7Denmark's singles traditionTake a test
Denmark is Europe's badminton power.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
He became BWF President.
Source: BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 1 · recall
2020 and 2024.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Glasgow and Tokyo.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Clubs and history.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
1996 to 2021.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Copenhagen hosted in 2014 and 2023.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
1996, 2017, 2021.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2017, 2021, 2022, 2024.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Axelsen defended his title.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 8World champions of recent yearsTake a test
Copenhagen and Jakarta.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Japan's Momota.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
A first for Singapore.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Thailand's Kunlavut.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Japanese.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
The game has spread.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
2014, 2017, 2018, 2021.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2017, 2018, 2019, 2021.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Huelva, Spain, 2021.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 9Men's singles tactics at the topTake a test
A lost net battle means lifting.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Variety beats defence.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Defence turns into attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
It stretches the opponent diagonally.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Fatigue shapes choices.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 9 · recall
Avoid the opponent's strength.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Deny the attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Serve, net, lift, attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Net, lift, smash, finish.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Tight net forces a lift.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Test 10Men's singles in numbersTake a test
Rally scoring to 21, three games.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · recall
Best of three.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · recall
Introduced in 2006.
Source: BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 1 · recall
15 points, with serve-only scoring.
Source: BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 1 · recall
No more long runs without scoring.
Source: BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 1 · applied
Every rally scores one point.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · applied
Games ended at 30 in that system.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · recall
11, 15, 21.
Source: BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 1 · recall
31, 40 and 59 rallies.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · recall
One point per rally.
Source: BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view) · applied
Questions people ask
- Why do top men's singles players serve low?
- A high serve gives a strong smasher the chance to attack straight away. The low backhand serve denies the receiver an attacking first shot, so almost every top man uses it.
- Who has won Olympic men's singles gold twice?
- Lin Dan of China, in 2008 and 2012, was the first man to do it. Viktor Axelsen of Denmark followed at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, and Paris 2024.
- How many world titles did Lin Dan win?
- Five, in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. He also won every other major title and announced his retirement in July 2020.
- Did Lee Chong Wei ever win Olympic gold?
- No. The Malaysian won silver three times: he lost to Lin Dan in the 2008 and 2012 finals and to Chen Long in Rio 2016, despite long spells as world number one.
- What is a jump smash in badminton?
- It is a smash hit after leaving the floor. Jumping raises the contact point, which makes the shot steeper and faster.
- How long is a top men's singles match?
- A three-game match often runs past an hour, and sometimes much longer, because one player covers the whole court at great speed.
- When did badminton change to rally scoring to 21?
- In 2006. Before that, men's singles games went to 15 points and only the server could score; under rally scoring every rally gives a point and a game ends at 30 at most.
Sources
BWF Coaches' Manual Level 1 (2017), BWF regulations and history, Olympedia; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered rules belong to the Rules category (Badminton - Laws of Badminton).
- Olympedia, Olympic badminton results33
- General badminton reference31
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 820
- BWF Laws of Badminton 2027 (player's view)6
- BWF history (bwfbadminton.com) and the BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 15
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 73
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 61
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 91