As a five-year-old, Marvin Seidel was playing badminton for the first time. Today, he is one of Germany's biggest talents and a possible qualifier for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
The 23-year-old spoke to Badminton Europe about his biggest idols, how he prevents injuries from returning and why he cannot imagine a life without badminton.
"As a small child, I always played badminton on the street. Then, the caretaker of a sports hall, that was close by, recommended my parents a badminton club. I went there and since then, I have been playing regularly," Marvin Seidel said.
The 23-year-old, who grew up in Sankt Ingberg, Germany, is one of his home country's biggest badminton talents. Playing in the Mixed as well as Men's Doubles, he is currently ranked within the Top 30 in the world in both categories.
Current number 22 in the world: Marvin Seidel and Linda Efler (Badminton Photo)
"I love to compete"
Since finishing his A-levels in 2013, Seidel is playing badminton professionally. In the same year, he already won his first titles by competing in the Doubles categories at international level.
He won five gold medals in total, at the International Junior Series tournaments in Bulgaria, Belgium and Croatia. Today, Seidel is participating at high-level, such as at World Tour Super tournaments as well as World and European Championships.
"Badminton plays a huge role in my life. I love to compete with others and can transfer all my ambitions in the sport of badminton. I cannot imagine a life without high-performance sport right now," Seidel said.
Training off court
Living in Sankt Ingberg, Seidel is part of the German Doubles team, which is practising in Saarbrucken, whereas the German Singles training centre is located in Muelheim an der Ruhr.
Apart from his training sessions on court, Seidel is also doing a lot of individual training sessions – in the gym.
"I am doing a lot of strength and stabilisation training. I am giving a lot of attention to my feet as well as torso because I was injured in both areas and I do not want those injuries to return," he said.
The biggest achievement
Seidel is competing at international tournaments, together with his German partners, Linda Efler and Mark Lamsfuss.
The biggest successes in his career, so far, are winning the White Nights 2017 twice (in the Men's as well as Mixed Doubles) and the Orleans Masters 2018 once, with Lamsfuss. This year, the pair reached also the quarterfinal of the All England Open.
Besides, Seidel was part of the German team that became the runner-up of the European Mixed Team Championships, that got underway in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Marvin Seidel/Mark Lamsfuss at the 2019 EMTC in Copenhagen (Koen Mutton)
For the future, Marvin Seidel has huge ambitions.
"A big dream of mine is winning an Olympic medal, which is is the biggest achievement for a badminton player. It would be a huge honour for me but I would already be very happy to win a medal at the World Championships," he said.
"My goal, right now, is to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Therefore, it is the most important for me to not get injured," he continued.
Meeting Tiger Woods
When it comes to fulfilling his goals and dreams, Marvin Seidel is inspired by other athletes – but not only by badminton players.
"Of all kinds of sports, I am a big fan of Tiger Woods. I think his life story is unique. The mindset that he has shown in early years is worth emulating. I would give everything to play a session of golf and have a chat with him, once in a lifetime," Seidel said.
"My biggest badminton idol is Hendra Setiawan. He has reached everything but is still down-to-earth – a real role model," he added.
Together with Mark Lamsfuss, Seidel already faced Hendra Setiawan and his partner, Mohammad Ahsan, twice: at the All England and Swiss Open this year.
The result for the Germans: One straight defeat in Birmingham and a close one in Basel, after three games.