Ahn Se-young: Badminton’s Rising GOAT at 24

The whole world is pouring praise on Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), who has swept the badminton world since the new year. Following the king of golf, Tiger Woods (USA), this time the king of clay courts, Rafael Nadal (Spain), was summoned.

Chinese media ‘Sohu.com’ reported on the 19th (Korean time), “Ahn Se-young is the Nadal of badminton,” and “The world badminton world once again marveled at the overwhelming presence of Korea’s leading figure, Ahn Se-young.”

Ahn Se-young defeated China’s Wang Zhiyi 2-0 in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 India Open held in New Delhi, India on the 18th, and achieved her second consecutive title in the tournament. It is a record win for two weeks in a row following last week’s Malaysia Open victory and a record of six consecutive wins including last season.

Foreign media is heaping praise on this overwhelming move. The names of the best players of all time (GOAT) in a sport can be compared to each other. Indian media outlet ‘India Today’ quoted former Indian national team member Bimal Kumar as saying, “Facing Ahn Se-young is like meeting Nadal on a clay court. When you face Ahn Se-young, all the balls come back to you.”

Kumar analyzed, “Ahn Se-young has the perfect balance of skill and stamina. He endures long rallies and does not simply pass the ball over, but dominates the game. He continues to find the exact spot for the ball to fall. He even has excellent speed control and prediction skills, causing frustration to his opponents.”

Prior to this, the BWF broadcaster also compared Ahn Se-young to Tiger Woods. The broadcaster said, “Ahn Se-young, who has dominated women’s badminton for the past year and a half, gives opponents the same intimidating feeling as Woods in his prime,” adding, “It’s to the point where opponents have to hypnotize themselves by thinking, ‘She’s only human, too.’”

Amid worldwide praise, Ahn Se-young returned home with a bright smile. After returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 19th, Ahn Se-young met with reporters and said, “I had a game right after the start of the new year, and I am very happy to come back with a good result.”

While winning two consecutive competitions, he also honestly confessed his difficulties. Ahn Se-young, who felt thigh pain during the World Tour Finals in December last year, began her New Year schedule without sufficient rest. In the first match of the Malaysia Open on the 6th, he showed physical difficulties. Se-young Ahn said, “I felt a little tired during the Malaysia Open. I had a cramp during last year’s finals, but it hadn’t completely recovered, so I think I had a problem with my left leg. I felt heavy and was worried that I would get a cramp again.”

The secret to overcoming the crisis was thorough rest and a change in strategy. Se-young Ahn explained, “Originally, I maintained my strength through weight training, but this time, I focused on recovery by completely resting after the match. Thanks to this, I recovered well and was able to perform better at the India Open.”

In particular, regarding the aggressive play shown in this tournament, he added, “I felt like I was being pushed back physically, so I wanted to end the game as quickly as possible. That strategy worked well this time,” adding, “It was an opportunity to learn how to make plays by adjusting to my body condition.”

He also did not forget to respect his opponent in the finals, world number 2 Wang Ziyi. Seyoung Ahn said, “Wang Ziyi always puts a lot of thought into her work. Thank you for doing your best,” and added, “I will also try harder not to lose. This will be an opportunity for us to grow together.”

My goal this year is to finish the race without injury. Se-young Ahn said, “There are many big competitions this year. As I am most worried about injuries, I want to finish all matches well without withdrawing. If I do my best in each match, I will be able to achieve good results at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and World Championships in September.”