Axelsen overjoyed about his bundle of joy.
PETALING JAYA: Viktor Axelsen, the world No. 4, had every reason to smile despite having to give the ongoing home tournament, the Denmark Open, a miss because of an ankle injury.
Although he has yet to fully recover from the injury, the 2017 world champion is walking on air.
The 26-year-old Axelsen and his girlfriend Natalia Koch Rohde welcomed their first child – a daughter named Vega Rohde Axelsen – on Thursday.
Axelsen, known for his ability to speak fluent Mandarin, promptly gave his daughter a Chinese name – An Weijia – and also Wei Wei as the nickname.
“Say hi to Vega Rohde Axelsen. She was born at 10.26pm on Thursday evening Danish time.
“So proud of you and your amazing mom,” the new father wrote on Instagram.
Axelsen, still recuperating from an ankle surgery, is skipping the Denmark Open for the first time since his debut in 2009.
For the record, Axelsen has never gone past the semi-final stage in his home meet.
And perhaps Wei Wei will provide the inspiration and luck for more titles to come his way next year.
The World Tour, disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, will only return next January with the two Asian legs and season-ending Tour Finals in Bangkok.
Axelsen has been on fire since the start of the year, triumphing in two out of four World Tour starts – the All-England and the Spain Masters in February.
He also helped Denmark retain the European Team Championship in February as well as finishing runner-up to Japan’s world No. 1 Kento Momota at the Malaysian Masters in January.