Japan’s former World No. 1 shuttler Kento Momota to retire from international badminton after Thomas Cup
Former World No. 1 ranked badminton player from Japan, Kento Momota, announced his international retirement on Thursday, April 18. The upcoming Thomas Cup in China will be his last campaign for his nation.
The 29-year-old Momota is already out of contention for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 and will feature only in domestic competitions in Japan after the conclusion of the Thomas Cup and not on badminton’s World Tour.
Notably, Kento Momota ruled the court once upon a time, securing 11 title wins in 2019 and losing just six out of the 73 games he played in that particular year.
While announcing his retirement in the press conference, Kento Momota expressed that his decision stemmed from reaching his physical and mental limits.
“I have made this decision because it feels like I have reached my physical and mental limit in trying to get back to being the best in the world,” Momota stated.
“Why me?” - Kento Momota after his career-threatening accident
It’s important to note that the two-time world champion suffered a career-threatening car crash in January 2020 when he was traveling to Kuala Lumpur airport after he won the Malaysia Masters.
The driver was killed and Momota needed surgery to repair a fractured eye socket. He suffered double vision and struggled to regain his previous form when he returned to competition after a year out of action.
“I’m not going to lie, after the accident I’ve asked myself, ‘Why me?’ Honestly, it was one difficult time after another. But I didn’t want to blame it on the accident. I wanted to try and beat it. “I had so much support. It’s how I managed to come this far.”
Making his comeback at the Tokyo Olympics 2021, Kento made an early exit after losing in the opening round. In the following year, his poor form continued as he bowed out in the first rounds in four of the first five campaigns that year.
As his career was hampered by injuries, Viktor Axelsen took over his World No. 1 spot in the BWF rankings.
Momota tried his best to make it to the Paris Olympics 2024. However, the 52nd-ranked shuttler’s national ranking didn’t help him to earn a spot in the national team.