It means so unbelievably much to be part of a group

Team spirit in an individual sport:

- It means so unbelievably much to be part of a group

National team members Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Line Kjærsfeldt, and Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus all agree. Playing on a national team is fantastic. But what exactly characterises the Danish team spirit in badminton, which is otherwise mostly seen as an individual sport?

By Søren Nielsen

The sport of badminton is primarily seen as an individual activity, in which players hunt for personal success. Of course, some also play in pairs. But personal ambition is set aside in favour of team spirit and a common goal of representing your country in the best manner when playing at, for example, the European Championships, the Sudirman Cup Finals , and not least the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals.

- You get the feeling of being part of something bigger. I know that’s the Danish Football Association’s slogan, but it really applies. It means so unbelievably much to be part of a group, in this case a national team, says national team member Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

- The Danish national team has historically delivered many excellent performances at the Thomas & Uber Cup, and those results wouldn’t have been achieved without a good team spirit. The same is true for the current national team, believes Line Kjærsfeldt.

- We support each other from start to finish. It’s fantastic to play, knowing there’s always some teammates watching and cheering. You can always turn around and get some words of support along the way when you’re on the court, says the 26-year-old women’s singles player, who has been a member of the Danish Uber Cup team for several years.

That same team spirit thrives in the men’s national team, according to HansKristian Solberg Vittinghus.

- You know how many people are standing behind you. And that includes your teammates. It gives you an extra spark, because you obviously want to do well for your teammates’ sakes, and for Denmark, which you represent, claims the experienced men’s singles player.

Extra percent, extra pressure

Both Line Kjærsfeldt and Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus feel that their teammates’ support helps the player on the court perform a few percentage points better in the battle. And both the men’s and women’s national teams are good at mutually supporting each other, they believe.

- At the time, it can also feel like an extra source of pressure, that you aren’t only playing for yourself on the court.

- We’re all about fire and soul when we’re sitting and cheering. We actually dominated the hall in 2016 and 2018. In 2016 we got 8000 Chinese fans to cheer for us, even though we played other Asian teams. They thought we were amusing.

Anders Skaarup Rasmussen

- Normally, when I lose, I only get angry at myself, and my defeat doesn’t affect others. But when I’m on a team, all my results affect my teammates, win or lose. It means that you put a bit more pressure on yourself, and maybe get a bit scared of losing, since it affects the team, says Kjærsfeldt.

Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, who, like Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus, helped win gold at the 2016 Thomas Cup, has experienced the feeling of letting the team down.

- No one wants to let the team down. It’s no fun if you go in and lose. Especially if you’re already favoured in the tie. My partner, Kim Astrup, and I have experienced that a couple of times, but in those situations we’re crazily good at supporting each other internally in the team, he claims.

- Team ties have a life of their own. It’s all about the tie in progress. So, it creates a really cool atmosphere. Everyone is pumped up, states Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

A unique group

It isn’t just those playing on the court that are pumped up. Denmark’s players are notorious for helping create a loud and electrified mood in the hall.

- We’re all about fire and soul when we’re sitting and cheering. We actually dominated the hall in 2016 and 2018. In 2016 we got 8000 Chinese fans to cheer for us, even though we played other Asian teams. They thought we were amusing. So, it was pretty unique, reminisces Skaarup.

Part of the honour of bringing the Chinese fans to Denmark’s side belongs to Viktor Axelsen. The previous world champion taught his Danish teammates some Chinese phrases, which meant that the Danish players could interact with the Chinese home crowd.

- We always got the crowd on our side. So that meant that there was a lot of pressure on the Indonesians in the final. The Chinese fans loved that we reached out to them like that. So, they were with us for the five hours the team match lasted, remembers Hans Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

- Not to belittle other sports, but it’s rare that you see national team members in weird hats, whistles in their mouths, and singing chants while their teammates are on the court. So that’s really special. We’re a unique group, believes Vittinghus.

Anders Skaarup is very much in agreement with that observation.

- I think that feeling of togetherness has been really strong in all the years I’ve travelled with the national team. There’s an openness, with room for fun and games. You get quite a few more claps on the shoulder in that kind of team championship than you do when you travel around to the individual tournaments. People usually keep more to themselves at those, as you have to, he says.

Deciding the tie from the bench

Not everyone can play in every team tie. But that does not mean that those sitting it out go off to a corner and sulk. If you are not playing the tie yourself, you can decide the tie in another way, according to Vittinghus. - When we play in the Thomas Cup, I really feel like everyone comes together more, and that we’re there for each other. We’re there as a team. There’s no aloofness from the best players, and on the other hand, none of the players who’ve just barely got on the team say no to a task that can help the team. Everyone tries to help wherever they can. There is 100 percent support all the time, he explains.

Tactical input, help with warm-ups, and high spirits are just some of the things that the out-of-action players can contribute with.

The team always comes first. Anders Skaarup Rasmussen can remember an episode from the 2016 Thomas Cup exemplifying that fact.

- Mathias Boe, for example, said ahead of the Thomas Cup final that he thought my partner Kim Astrup and I should play the final, because we had played well the day before. It would obviously have been a huge deal for him to play, and it’s worth remembering that, at the time, he was one of the world’s best doubles players. It’s deeply impressive that anyone can be so selfless. It was cool that he had faith in us, even though we ended up losing our match in the final, says Skaarup.

Outside the badminton court, both the women’s and men’s national teams look for something social to do during the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals.

Many meals are eaten together, table tennis is played in the lobby, and sometimes the national team members also have time to battle one another in a variety of mobile games.

The latter might be a cause for some frank discussions, but it’s by no means enough to damage the team spirit. It remains intact.

Now is the time to dig out the clapping hats and whistles once more. For the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2020, Denmark is guaranteed to once more have the crowd at its back.