From Thursday to Sunday, the RSL Swedish Open will get underway in Lund. Felix Burestedt spoke to Badminton Europe about his ambitions for the tournament and about the feeling of pressure.
The RSL Swedish Open that will get underway from 17-20 January will be a special event for Felix Burestedt: The Centre of Excellence player was born and raised in Sweden.
Burestedt is currently living in Holbæk, Denmark. For his participation in Lund, the Men’s Singles player is going to travel back to his home country – and he is looking forward to the event.
- It is very nice to be able to play a tournament on home soil. It is not too far away from where I am from, he said.
Playing on home soil
Burestedt is 23 years old and was born in Ängelholm, Sweden. It is not that often that the Swede is playing tournaments in his home country.
- There is only one international tournament per year in Sweden. Usually, a lot of people who are interested in the sport attend the event to watch badminton. I always meet many friendly and familiar faces, he said.
The Men’s Singles player is currently ranked 97th in the world. As a Centre of Excellence player, he has a special relationship with his Swedish teammates.
- Actually, I see the Swedish players at quite a lot of tournaments. Sometimes, we also have training camps together in Sweden. So, I know all of them quite well, they are a nice group of people, Burestedt said.
Strong competition
Last year, Burestedt was able to reach the quarterfinal of the tournament. This time, he is the best-seeded Swede in Men’s Singles.
- I hope to achieve a better result than last year. I think that is possible, but it is not going to be easy. The tournament will be very tough this year, a lot of strong players participate in it, Burestedt said.
- For the spectators, it would be nice to see some Swedish players advancing in the tournament. That is also extra motivation for me. I want to perform well and do my best in front of my home crowd, he added.
When it comes to pressure performing on home soil, Burestedt does not feel any extra pressure, he revealed to Badminton Europe.
- It is almost the opposite, as I am looking forward to participating in the tournament, he said.
- As I said, it will be very tough this year, that is why my personal expectations are not too high. But I hope that I can show some nice badminton in Lund.