The European leg of the HSBC BWF World Tour begins this week, with the YONEX German Open, followed by the Orleans Masters and the YONEX All England.

Among the high-profile stars who have entered both the German Open and the All England is Viktor Axelsen, who – somewhat surprisingly for someone of his accomplishments – is looking for his first German Open title, which would be ideal preparation for the All England.

It has been some unusual last few months for Axelsen, mostly due to an injury that he picked up late last year, which saw him skip the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals. The year didn’t begin well, as he fell in the first round of the PETRONAS Malaysia Open, but the following week in India, he showed that, even while not at his best, he is able to grit his way to victory. Battling poor form, and below-par physical and mental condition due to recent injury, Axelsen emerged with his first title since last September.

Even as he arrived in India, Axelsen was clear that he was far from his best, and simply looking to win the next match. His struggles were evident from the start, as he was taken to three games by Chi Yu Jen; Loh Kean Yew provided the big test in the quarterfinals, but Axelsen surprised himself with a strong third game.

What was somewhat unusual about his campaign was that, unable to rely on his imposing physical abilities, he had to fight scrappily at times, using every device – including flashes of anger and frustration at himself – to somehow get over the line.

As he was to say: “I’m not at all at my fittest right now. My preparation has been very bad. Every single match is a bonus for me, and today playing against such a strong opponent in Loh Kean Yew, I went in and hoped I could win this match, I didn’t really have high expectations, but it was a very high intense match.

“My defence wasn’t there at all, but I managed to find a way back, and win the first game somehow… I felt I had a few extra kilograms in my shorts. I managed to find a solution and my legs came back to life a little bit, so I’m happy about that. To be honest, I never had any expectations of winning this match, but I managed to do so. My preparations have been close to minimal because of injuries so I didn’t have any high hopes for myself, but I found a way to win, and that’s the most important thing.”

Then, in the semifinals, faced with an in-form Jonatan Christie who seized the early momentum, Axelsen let his frustration boil over – even earning a yellow card on one occasion. But it was also a way of shaking himself and getting more energy into his performance – and it worked, for the Dane turned it around completely.

“First of all, I’m a human being. What you see is what you get; I’m not a robot,” Axelsen said. “Sometimes my emotions boil over a little bit, but that’s me. I’m not proud of breaking that racket, but I’m not a machine, and I was really struggling in there today and I think Christie is a world-class opponent, great player, I was very frustrated because I felt I was playing a good game, but then suddenly everything fell apart and Christie stepped up and I was so frustrated, but I managed to find a way back somehow – I don’t know how – but I obviously am super proud of myself.

“It was a beautiful combination, definitely mentally, definitely physically also. I’ve had close to zero preparation before this. To be in a final now is way above my expectations, and that’s also why I was celebrating so much.”

Having come through two difficult tests by sheer force of will, it was unlikely that Axelsen would let the opportunity for his first title in months be frittered away. And that’s how it turned out as he decimated Lee Cheuk Yiu in straight games, signalling a sort of return to business as usual.

“I didn’t enjoy it until I won the last point,” said Axelsen. “I felt I had to focus on every single point and even though I was leading big, in my mind I was still trailing behind. This week has been very inconsistent from a mental perspective for me, and also game-wise. So to play a game like this with my current state is very very positive.

“I slept very bad, maybe four-five hours. I had a good (physio) treatment, we laughed a lot at breakfast and had a good time relaxing. I just tried my best to get my body ready. To be honest, to win this title is very special for me, because it has been a different feeling on court, different preparation, and I’m starting to feel my motivation is back. I’ve been a competitor this week. Since the Olympics I’ve had a little bit of issues with injuries, and that has been affecting my motivation a bit, so to be here and win the title means a lot.”

And so it will be on to the German Open and All England after a training camp in Dubai with Peter Gade. Despite all the accomplishments, the Dane is still looking to build on his game. It is perhaps this unrelenting quest that has seen him enter a rarified zone of excellence that few in the history of the sport have ventured into.

“Every Olympic cycle, it’s good to get some new motivation,” said Axelsen. “After Tokyo, I moved to my new setup, now we’re getting a very competent and a new force into the team, and I think that’s good for all of us to get some new motivation and a different perspective of things and I’m looking forward to train with Peter and PK (coach Rohde). It’s going to be exciting.”