Top BWF pros across singles + doubles disciplines. Click out to Wikipedia, YouTube highlights, or BWF's site search — we don't host any branded photos or scraped tournament data here.
Two-time Olympic champion (2008, 2012). Widely considered the greatest singles player of all time.
Complete · attack + controlb. 1983178 cm
2008 + 2012 Olympic gold
Five-time World Champion (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)
Six-time All England Champion
Career grand slam — every major title
Racquet
Yonex Voltric Z-Force IIlegacy model
String
Yonex BG65 Ti
Career racquet (discontinued); previously used Yonex AT700 + custom variants
Considered the greatest singles player to ever pick up the sport. A decade of dominance built on physical power and tactical flexibility — could grind from the back court or finish at the net. Olympic golds at Beijing (home soil) and London made him the first man to defend the singles title. Retired 2020 after a 20-year international career.
Career racquets: Voltric 80 (~2011), Voltric Z-Force II (2014-15), Duora 10 (2015-18). Astrox 99 Pro LCW is the honorary post-retirement colorway.
Malaysia's most decorated athlete in any sport. Held BWF #1 for 199 consecutive weeks — a record likely never to be broken. Lost three Olympic finals across three consecutive Games (Beijing, London, Rio) — the silver-medal narrative defined his career as much as his footwork did. Beat nasal cancer in 2018 before retiring in 2019.
Hyderabad-trained alongside PV Sindhu under Pullela Gopichand. India's first Olympic badminton medallist (bronze London 2012) and the first Indian woman to top the BWF singles rankings. Her career-defining 2015 — World Championships silver plus a #1 ranking — set the highest peak any Indian woman has reached in the sport.