Rest days a game-changer, says Roy King

PETALING JAYA: World No. 18 men’s doubles player Yap Roy King has welcomed the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) sweeping changes to the 2027 World Tour calendar, describing the introduction of rest days at Super 1000 events as a major boost for players.

The revamped calendar – which includes format adjustments, expanded draws, longer match durations and increased prize money – has sparked debate, but Roy King believes the reforms address long-standing concerns raised by top shuttlers.

“Super 1000 tournaments are the biggest events, so the intensity is extremely high. Every doubles pair and every match is very competitive. If you look at tennis, it’s the same.

“So having a day of rest really makes a difference. I think this change is very good for the players,” said Roy King.

He singled out the decision to extend Super 1000 tournaments such as the Malaysian Open, All England, China Open and Indonesian Open to 11 days as particularly significant. With the world’s best competing at these elite events, he said the added rest day would help players recover from the intense, high-quality matches.

Next year, the Denmark Open will also be upgraded to a Super 1000 tournament.

Singles draws will expand to 48 players featuring a group-stage format before the knockout rounds, while doubles will remain a 32-pair straight knockout competition.

Prize money will also see substantial increases, with Super 1000 events offering US$2mil (RM7.85mil), up from US$1.45mil (RM5.69mil). Super 750 events will increase to US$1.1mil (RM4.32mil) from US$950,000 (RM3.7mil), while Super 500 tournaments will rise to US$560,000 (RM2.2mil) from US$500,000 (RM1.96mil).

Beyond the World Tour, the World Championships will adopt a group-stage-to-knockout format to guarantee players at least two matches, similar to the Olympic Games.

The BWF also announced that the final rounds of the Sudirman Cup, as well as the Thomas and Uber Cups, will be expanded from 16 to 24 teams, creating opportunities for broader international participation.

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