Who said what at the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2023 on quarterfinals day?
“I didn’t perform the way I wanted to, but Prannoy played really well. But I’m not satisfied with my performance. That’s how it is, that’s the game. My job now is to learn from this defeat. It’s part of being an athlete. It’s not the last time I’m going to lose.”
– Viktor Axelsen
“When I got in I realised how packed the stadium was. But it was fun out there. We had close matches in recent times, and to win is always tough. You might come close, but a win is a win. I couldn’t digest the Japan Open loss but God had something better for me, probably to give me a World Championships medal.”
– HS Prannoy
“The crowd and the nation deserves these moments that will last a long time in people’s memories.”
– Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, after Astrup/Rasmussen outplayed Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
“We played well but the execution was wrong. Although we played badly we were still close to taking the match. I feel we weren’t comfortable through the match, but we lost 21-18 21-19 – that’s the champion mentality. Even when we were having an off day, we played well.”
– Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
“It’s our first meeting, so it was difficult to understand her playing style. But my coach told me what to do and I followed those instructions. She is fast and has good control, so she made me think on every rally. I had goosebumps when I got into the arena. My coach was also frustrated with my slow start, and I do know what I shouldn’t do, but I made mistakes in the opening game. Maybe I should start better in the next match.”
– An Se Young on Nozomi Okuhara
“I did give everything. An Se Young is a very steady, very physical player. Physically I’m not 100 per cent yet. I want to be what I used to be like, in terms of footwork, but I could play aggressively from time to time, and I’m gaining confidence match by match, so I’m getting there.”
– Okuhara
“I was tense from the start, but she was like my angel, she covered up for me.”
– Chen Qing Chen on partner Jia Yi Fan