KUALA LUMPUR: Danish star Viktor Axelsen was the top earner last year, earning a staggering US$645,095 (RM2.99 million) after dominating the World Tour.
In sports, an athlete's accumulated prize money serves as a testament to their success and dominance.
What's truly mind-blowing is that the 29-year-old raked in two-thirds more than Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, the second-highest earner in the men's singles, with the latter collecting US$260,335 (RM1.2 million).
Axelsen clinched that substantial amount of money in just 12 World Tour starts, while Jonatan had participated in three more tournaments.
Despite a couple of injury setbacks last year, Axelsen remained unaffected, securing victories in four out of the five major events on the schedule.
He captured three Super 1000 titles — at the Malaysia Open, Indonesia Open, and China Open — and the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Axelsen's consistent success in winning tournaments, even against the strongest field of competitors, serves as a testament to his unwavering dominance since he first emerged as a force in the men's singles in 2020.
If Axelsen can maintain his exceptional form this year and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the lanky Dane could be on track to join the ranks of Chinese legend Lin Dan as the next G.O.A.T (Greatest of all time) by successfully defending his gold medal at the Paris Olympics this August.
Lin Dan, who retired in 2020, stands as the sole men's singles back-to-back winner, securing victories at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games, where he triumphed over Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei on both occasions.
Axelsen will have his first chance to signal an early warning ahead of the Paris Olympics when he defends his Malaysia Open crown at the Axiata Arena next week.
He capped off the year with a glorious 10-match unbeaten run, capturing the Kumamoto Masters and the World Tour Finals in the process.
Fans should anticipate fewer appearances from Axelsen leading up to the Olympics, as he plans to be selective in scheduling tournaments to minimise the risk of injury and maintain peak performance.
Axelsen will participate in only two tournaments in January, including the India Open Super 750.
The two-time world champion has opted out of the Indonesia Masters Super 500, a tournament he used to be a regular participant in.
At the juncture, it looks unlikely Axelsen's rivals would be able to stop the Dane from winning in Paris.
Currently, none of the other top 10 ranked players seem capable of stringing together a consistent series of victories.
Take, for instance, world No. 2 Kodai Naraoka. While he secured a victory at the China Masters in November, he failed to reach the semi-finals in any of the other five tournaments during the final stretch of the 2023 season.
A similar trend is observed with China's world No. 3, Li Shi Feng, who clinched the Asian Games gold but experienced early exits at the Denmark Open and China Masters.
World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn is struggling, while Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia is inconsistent.