Viktor Axelsen has not been in action since October 24th last year, as the back problems that forced him to undergo surgery in April have returned to haunt him and subsequently kept him out for six months, as he is currently unable to complete training sessions.
Due to his long absence, Axelsen's ranking has dropped severely, and he is currently listed as No. 30 in the world rankings.
The top 32 are guaranteed a place in the major tournaments, but on 16 February, Axelsen loses his protected ranking (a system allowing injured or sidelined top players to temporarily freeze their world ranking), which otherwise has awarded him a shortcut into prestigious tournaments, and that could have disastrous consequences for the ex-World Champion.
According to TV2 Sport, Viktor Axelsen enjoys his position in the rankings largely due to his victory at the India Open last year. Axelsen currently has 44,290 points, but on 20 January, he will lose 14,000 points and end up at 30,290, which will see him drop to number 51 (based on the current world rankings).
If he has not returned to action before 3 March, he will lose another 7,000 points and end up at 23,290, and will drop to 77 in the world (based on the current world rankings).
A ranking of 77th in the world completely rules out Axelsen's ability to enter the Super 1000 tournament All England, which is played in early March and as BWF (The International Badminton Federation) doesn't operate with wild card in the Super Series tournament, Axelsen could struggle to get access to major tournament.
At the same time, BWF doesn't offer the possibility of extending a period where a player has enjoyed a protected ranking if an injury reoccurs.