Morten Frost
Encyclopedia
Morten Frost or Morten Frost Hansen, aka "Mr Badminton", (born April 4, 1958) is a former badminton
player and later coach, who represented Denmark
. As a player, he spent twelve years in the top three of the world rankings.
(comparable to Wimbledon
in tennis). He won that tournament in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1987. He also was European champion in 1984 and 1986. He won the Nordic championship each year from 1978 through 1984 and again in 1988.
Frost is also distinguished by winning all of the invitational Grand Prix tournaments at least once, including his home country's Denmark Open
, of which he was champion 1980-1986 and 1989. Morten Frost represented Denmark on the national team
from 1976 to 1991, longer than anyone else.
Noted for his exceptionally smooth and fluid footwork, Frost's playing style was something of a cross between the traditional singles game featuring numerous clears (lobs) and drops, with smashes often reserved for weak returns, and the modern singles game featuring more smashing from the outset of a rally to create openings.
After his playing years were over, he went on to successfully coach the Danish
national team. During his tenure as coach, the Danish national squad achieved over 20 major international wins, including an Olympic
gold medal in 1996, six gold medals and three silver medals at the European Championships in 1996, the men's singles titles at the 1995 and 1996 All England Championships, and a gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the World Championships in 1995. He later coached the national teams of Malaysia and South Africa
.
Morten Frost was inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame in 1998.
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
player and later coach, who represented Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. As a player, he spent twelve years in the top three of the world rankings.
Badminton career
During his career, Frost won almost every championship, except the World Badminton Championships where he scored a silver medal twice (1985 and 1987). When he lost his second World Championship in the finals, the headlines rang out "The World's greatest badminton player may never be World Champion." While this may be the enduring footnote to his career, Frost dominated at the much coveted All England Open Badminton ChampionshipsAll England Open Badminton Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...
(comparable to Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
in tennis). He won that tournament in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1987. He also was European champion in 1984 and 1986. He won the Nordic championship each year from 1978 through 1984 and again in 1988.
Frost is also distinguished by winning all of the invitational Grand Prix tournaments at least once, including his home country's Denmark Open
Denmark Open
The Denmark Open, or formerly known as Danish Open, is an annual badminton tournament held in Denmark and organized by Danmarks Badminton Forbund.- History :...
, of which he was champion 1980-1986 and 1989. Morten Frost represented Denmark on the national team
Denmark national badminton team
The Denmark national badminton team is a badminton team located in Denmark and represents the nation of Denmark in international badminton team competitions...
from 1976 to 1991, longer than anyone else.
Noted for his exceptionally smooth and fluid footwork, Frost's playing style was something of a cross between the traditional singles game featuring numerous clears (lobs) and drops, with smashes often reserved for weak returns, and the modern singles game featuring more smashing from the outset of a rally to create openings.
After his playing years were over, he went on to successfully coach the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
national team. During his tenure as coach, the Danish national squad achieved over 20 major international wins, including an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal in 1996, six gold medals and three silver medals at the European Championships in 1996, the men's singles titles at the 1995 and 1996 All England Championships, and a gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the World Championships in 1995. He later coached the national teams of Malaysia and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Morten Frost was inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame in 1998.
Continental tournaments singles finalist
| Date | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | European Junior Championships European Junior Badminton Championships The European Junior Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe since 1969 and is held once every two years to crown the best junior badminton players in Europe.-Past winners:-External links:*... |
 Bruno Wackfelt |
|
| 1980 1980 European Badminton Championships The 7th European Badminton Championships were held in Groningen , between 17 and 20 April 1980, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Nederlandse Badminton Bond.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:... |
European Championships European Badminton Championships The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe . The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition is held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe.... |
 Flemming DelfsFlemming Delfs Flemming Delfs is a former Danish badminton player who won Danish national and international championships from the early 1970s to the early 1980s.-Career:... |
|
| 1988 1988 European Badminton Championships The 11th European Badminton Championships were held in Kristiansand, Norway, between 10 and 16 April 1988, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Norges Badminton Forbund.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:... |
European Championships |  Darren HallDarren Hall (badminton) Darren Hall is a retired badminton player from Great Britain who is generally rated as one of the very best, if not the best, men's singles players that Britain has produced.-Career:... |
Wins
| Date | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Norwegian International Norwegian International Championships (badminton) The Norwegian International in badminton is an international open held in Norway since 1954. In the first years only the pure man disciplines were played, but since 1959 women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles were also played. In 1957, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1979 and 1990 the championships... |
||
| 1977 | USSR International USSR International (badminton) The USSR International in badminton was an international open held in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics since 1973, and finished in 1992 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States , in its place.The Russian International is the... |
||
| 1978 | Nordic Championships Nordic Championships (badminton) The Nordic Championships in badminton was an international open held in the Scandinavian states from 1962 until 1999.Between 1962 and 1988 it was held annually. Afterwards it took place biennually, which increased to 3 years once with the change from the even years up to 1992 into odd years... |
||
| 1979 | Canadian Open Canadian Open (badminton) The Canadian Open in badminton is an international open held in Canada since 1957. The tournament is traditionally held every year in September.... |
||
| 1979 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1980 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1980 | Canadian Open | ||
| 1980 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1981 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1981 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1982 1982 All England Open Badminton Championships The 1982 All England Open was the 72nd edition of the All England Open Badminton Championships. It was held in 1982, in Wembley, London.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Women's doubles:-Mixed doubles:... |
All England Open All England Open Badminton Championships The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898... |
 Luan JinLuan Jin Luan Jin is a retired male badminton player from China who rated among the world's very best singles players in the early to mid 1980s when China gained entry into the International Badminton Federation .... |
11-15 15-2 15-7 |
| 1982 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1982 | German Open German Open (badminton) The German Open is an annual badminton tournament held in Germany since 1955 and organized by German Badminton Association or Deustcher Badminton Verband .... |
||
| 1982 | Scottish Open Scottish Open (badminton) The Scottish Open in badminton is an open international championships held in Scotland since 1907 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. The tournament was halted during the two World Wars.-21st century:... |
||
| 1982 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1983 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1983 | Dutch Open Dutch Open (badminton) The Dutch Open is an annual badminton tournament held in the Netherlands since 1932 and currently organized by Nederlandse Badminton Bond . It is a part of the European Badminton Circuit.-Past winners:-External links:**... |
||
| 1983 | Scottish Open | ||
| 1983 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1984 | All England Open |  Liem Swie KingLiem Swie King Liem Swie King is a former Indonesian badminton player who excelled from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. Along with Morten Frost , Han Jian and Luan Jin , and Prakash Padukone , he was one of the world's leading singles players of that era... |
9-15 15-10 15-10 |
| 1984 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1984 | Japan Open Japan Open (badminton) The Japan Open is an annual badminton tournament held in Japan. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007.-Past winners:... |
||
| 1984 | Scottish Open | ||
| 1984 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1984 1984 World Badminton Grand Prix The 1984 World Badminton Grand Prix was the second edition of the World Badminton Grand Prix finals. It was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from December 12 to December 16, 1984.-Final results:-References:*... |
World Grand Prix World Badminton Grand Prix The World Badminton Grand Prix was an annual badminton tournament organized by the International Badminton Federation to crown the best badminton player of the year. The tournament only invited the top eight players in the year-end world rankings. The tournament started in 1983, with the last... |
Liem Swie King Liem Swie King Liem Swie King is a former Indonesian badminton player who excelled from the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. Along with Morten Frost , Han Jian and Luan Jin , and Prakash Padukone , he was one of the world's leading singles players of that era... |
15–5 15–4 |
| 1985 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1985 | Malaysia Open Malaysia Open (badminton) The Malaysia Open is an annual badminton event that commonly held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The tournament has been held since 1937 and has been played in different locations such as Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang, Selangor, Kuantan.... |
||
| 1985 | Welsh International | ||
| 1986 | All England Open |  Misbun SidekMisbun Sidek Dato' Mohmed Misbun Sidek is a Malaysian former badminton player who rated among world's leading men's singles players of the 1980s. He is the eldest of the famous six Sidek brothers, all of whom were actively involved in international badminton scene... |
|
| 1986 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1986 | German Open | ||
| 1986 | Belgian International Belgian International (badminton) The Belgian International in badminton is an international open held in Belgium since 1958, but it has been held in irregular periods.Starting 2005 Yonex became title sponsor of the event... |
||
| 1987 | All England Open | Icuk Sugiarto Icuk Sugiarto Icuk Sugiarto is a former Indonesian badminton player who rated among the world's best singles players during the 1980s.... |
15-10 15-0 |
| 1987 | Belgian International | ||
| 1988 | German Open | ||
| 1988 | Scottish Open | ||
| 1989 | Denmark Open | ||
| 1989 | German Open | ||
| 1989 | Scottish Open | ||
| 1989 | Nordic Championships | ||
| 1989 | Swedish Open Swedish Open (badminton) The Swedish Open was an open badminton tournament that was annually held from 1956 to 1999 after which the organizer, Svenska Badmintonförbundet, could no longer find a suitable sponsor. To some extent it has been replaced by the Swedish International Stockholm tournament.-Winners:... |
||
| 1990 | Japan Open | ||
| 1990 | Finnish International Finnish International (badminton) The Finnish International in badminton is an international open held in Finland since 1990. It was halted in 1994, 1995, and between 1997 and 2001.-Previous winners:-External links:**... |
Runner-ups
| Date | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | All England Open All England Open Badminton Championships The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898... |
Luan Jin Luan Jin Luan Jin is a retired male badminton player from China who rated among the world's very best singles players in the early to mid 1980s when China gained entry into the International Badminton Federation .... |
2-15 15-13 4-15 |
| 1983 1983 World Badminton Grand Prix The 1983 World Badminton Grand Prix was the first edition of the World Badminton Grand Prix finals. It was held in Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia, from December 14 to December 18, 1983.-Final... |
World Grand Prix World Badminton Grand Prix The World Badminton Grand Prix was an annual badminton tournament organized by the International Badminton Federation to crown the best badminton player of the year. The tournament only invited the top eight players in the year-end world rankings. The tournament started in 1983, with the last... |
Luan Jin Luan Jin Luan Jin is a retired male badminton player from China who rated among the world's very best singles players in the early to mid 1980s when China gained entry into the International Badminton Federation .... |
2–15 6–15 |
| 1985 | All England Open | Zhao Jianhua Zhao Jianhua Zhao Jianhua is a Chinese former badminton player who competed internationally from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. Generally rated among the most talented players that China has produced, he was admired for his speed and power as well as for his deception and technique... |
15-6 10-15 15-18 |
| 1986 1986 World Badminton Grand Prix The 1986 World Badminton Grand Prix was the fourth edition of the World Badminton Grand Prix finals. It was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from December 16 to December 21, 1986.-Final results:-References:*... |
World Grand Prix World Badminton Grand Prix The World Badminton Grand Prix was an annual badminton tournament organized by the International Badminton Federation to crown the best badminton player of the year. The tournament only invited the top eight players in the year-end world rankings. The tournament started in 1983, with the last... |
Yang Yang Yang Yang (badminton) Yang Yang is a former Chinese badminton player.He is one of the two badminton players in the world to have won two World Badminton Championships men's singles titles consecutively , the other being Lin Dan. He also won the men's singles gold medal when badminton was a demonstration sport at the... |
13–18 8–15 |
| 1988 | All England Open | Ib Frederiksen Ib Frederiksen -1987 World Champs:Frederiksen competed at the 1987 IBF World Championships, and he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Yang Yang, of China.-1988 All England:... |
15-8 7-15 10-15 |
| 1989 | All England Open | Yang Yang Yang Yang (badminton) Yang Yang is a former Chinese badminton player.He is one of the two badminton players in the world to have won two World Badminton Championships men's singles titles consecutively , the other being Lin Dan. He also won the men's singles gold medal when badminton was a demonstration sport at the... |
8-15 9-15 |
| 1990 | Denmark Open | Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen is a retired Danish badminton player who won major international singles titles in the 1990s, and ranks among Denmark's badminton greats.-Badminton career:... |
15–4 10–15 14–17 |
Wins
| Date | Tournament | Event | Partner | Opponents in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | USSR International USSR International (badminton) The USSR International in badminton was an international open held in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics since 1973, and finished in 1992 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States , in its place.The Russian International is the... |
MD | Steen Skovgaard Steen Skovgaard Steen Skovgaard is a retired male badminton player from Denmark who specialized in the doubles events and won national and international titles from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s.He played for the Gentofte BK.-Career:... |
||
| 1980 | Norwegian International Norwegian International Championships (badminton) The Norwegian International in badminton is an international open held in Norway since 1954. In the first years only the pure man disciplines were played, but since 1959 women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles were also played. In 1957, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1979 and 1990 the championships... |
MD | Steen Fladberg Steen Fladberg Steen Fladberg is a retired male badminton player from Denmark, noted for his speed of foot, who excelled during the 1980s. Though a strong international level singles player, his biggest achievements came in doubles.-Career:... |
||
| 1981 | Norwegian International | MD | Steen Fladberg |
||
| 1982 | Norwegian International | MD | Steen Fladberg |
||
| 1983 | Scottish Open Scottish Open (badminton) The Scottish Open in badminton is an open international championships held in Scotland since 1907 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. The tournament was halted during the two World Wars.-21st century:... |
XD | Nettie Nielsen Nettie Nielsen Nettie Nielsen is a retired female badminton player from Denmark. Nielsen won the gold medal at the 1988 and 1990 European Badminton Championships in women's doubles with Dorte Kjær.-References:... |
||
| 1984 | Scottish Open | MD | Jesper Helledie Jesper Helledie Jesper Helledie is a retired male badminton player from Denmark. Though a highly regarded prospect in men's singles as a young player, he eventually became a doubles specialist, overcoming two ruptures of his achilles tendon during his career.-Career:... |
||
| 1986 | Norwegian International | MD | Steen Fladberg |
Wins
| Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Danish National Championships Danish National Badminton Championships The Danish National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Denmark since the season 1930/1931.-21st century:Below is the list of the past winners in this 21st century.-References:*... |
||
| 1979 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1980 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1982 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1983 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1984 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1987 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1990 | Danish National Championships | ||
| 1991 | Danish National Championships |
Quotes
- "Jeg hader at tabe mere end de fleste. Jeg har en vilje til at vinde HVER gang!" - Morten Frost
- "I hate to lose more than most. I have the will to win EVERY time!" - Morten Frost (translation of above)
- "He used to give international players in England a 14-0 start. And if they won, the bet was they would take the money. And most of the players would take the bet, but they made very little money. After that they found they couldn't win, so they never took the bet. But that's how you train not to make errors."