The greatest badminton players of all time
Few sporting arguments are as enjoyable, or as impossible to settle, as naming the best badminton player of all time. Pick a name and someone will counter with another from a different decade, a different country and a different style of play. That is part of the fun. Badminton has produced a remarkable run of champions, and comparing them tells you almost as much about how the sport has changed as it does about the players themselves.
So rather than crown a single winner, we have gathered the famous badminton players who shaped the game, what made each of them special, and what club players can still take from them. Think of it as a celebration rather than a league table.
What makes a badminton player truly great?
Titles are the obvious yardstick: Olympic golds, World Championships and the historic All England crown. But the names that linger in the memory tend to have something extra, whether that is longevity at the very top, a style that others rushed to copy, or the knack of producing their best when it mattered most. The kit has changed enormously too, from heavy wooden frames to today's stiff carbon rackets and the feather shuttles still used at the top of the game, so raw trophy counts never tell the whole story.
The men who set the standard
Lin Dan (China)
If the sport has a benchmark, it is "Super Dan". Two Olympic singles golds (2008 and 2012), five World Championship titles and the complete set of the game's major honours, the so-called Super Grand Slam, put Lin Dan at the centre of almost every greatest-of-all-time conversation. He married ferocious attacking play with footwork and court coverage few have matched, and his long rivalry with Lee Chong Wei gave us some of the finest matches badminton has ever staged.
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
No list of the best badminton player in the world is complete without Lee Chong Wei, and that is remarkable given he never won Olympic or World gold. He spent an astonishing 349 weeks as world number one and collected three Olympic silver medals, more often than not beaten by Lin Dan at the final hurdle. His speed and his defence were sublime, and in Malaysia he is a genuine national hero, proof that greatness is about far more than the colour of the medal.
Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia)
Olympic champion in Athens in 2004 and World champion in 2005, Taufik was the most watchable player of his generation. He is remembered above all for that backhand, a shot most players treat as an emergency measure but which he turned into a weapon, firing winners down the line from positions nobody else would dare attack from. Elegant, unpredictable and occasionally maddening, he showed that touch, timing and a relaxed wrist can beat raw power.
Rudy Hartono (Indonesia)
Long before rally scoring and carbon rackets, Rudy Hartono set a record that still stands: eight All England singles titles, seven of them in a row from 1968 to 1974. In an era when the All England was effectively the unofficial world championship, that run made him the dominant force of his day, and a useful reminder that badminton's history runs far deeper than the modern tour.
The women who changed the game
Susi Susanti (Indonesia)
When badminton arrived as a full Olympic sport, it was Susi Susanti who claimed the first women's singles gold, in Barcelona in 1992. A World champion in 1993 and a four-time All England winner, she was famed for relentless retrieving and a cool head under pressure. Her gold triggered national celebrations in Indonesia and she remains one of the most important figures in the sport's history.
Carolina Marin (Spain)
Marin proved the elite was no longer an Asian preserve. The first woman to win three World Championships (2014, 2015 and 2018) and Olympic champion at Rio in 2016, she brought a left-handed, high-tempo, relentlessly aggressive game, along with an on-court intensity that changed how the women's singles was played. For European fans in particular she has been both an inspiration and a trailblazer.
The modern greats
Every generation adds new names to the conversation. Champions such as Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, with his towering jump smash, and Korea's An Se-young, with her tireless court coverage and composure, have carried the standard forward and will sit on these lists for years to come. The beauty of badminton is that the next of the greatest badminton players of all time is probably on a court somewhere right now, learning the game.
What club players can learn from the greats
It is tempting to watch the pros and reach for exactly the same kit, but their equipment suits their game, not necessarily yours. The elite play with stiff, often head-heavy frames and the string tensions they play with are far higher than most of us should attempt; they demand a near-perfect swing. Most club players progress faster with something more forgiving, as our rackets buying guide explains. What is worth copying costs nothing: Lin Dan's recovery to a central base, Lee Chong Wei's split step, Taufik's a relaxed grip and quick wrist, and the discipline all of them show in moving an opponent around the court. Sharp footwork, built on proper court shoes, will do more for your results than any upgrade in your bag.
So who is the best badminton player of all time?
Honestly, there is no right answer, and that is exactly why the debate never gets old. Lin Dan has the fullest trophy cabinet; Lee Chong Wei has the longevity and the heartbreak; Hartono and Susanti carry the historical weight; Marin opened a new frontier. Compare them across eras and you are really comparing different versions of the same sport. Our vote, for what little it is worth, goes to whoever first made you fall in love with the game. Pick your own, then get back on court and chase a little of that greatness yourself.
