Peter Gade, the former World No. 1 from Denmark, will complete a record which is never likely to be broken when he plays his last All-England Open badminton championships starting at Britain's national indoor arena on Wednesday.
After competing at the highest level for 17 years and winning the All-England more than a decade ago, the fourth-seeded Gade remains a leading contender — a remarkable achievement given the increasing speed of the modern game.
When the 35-year-old retires soon after the London Olympic Games in August, he will have been by far the longest lasting top level men's singles player the professional game has ever seen.
The slim, light-footed mover from Copenhagen would love to end on a high, but he is in the same quarter as Lee Chong Wei, the top-seeded defending champion from Malaysia.
However, his draw is tough right through.
His first round is against Rajiv Ouseph, the former top 20 player from England.
Gade could then face Boonsak Ponsana, the former World No. 4 from Thailand, with a possible quarterfinal against eighth-seeded Lee Hyun-Il, a former World No. 1 from Korea. To survive all this, he may need all his enduring resilience.
China is top seeded in four events, with Lee the player who is denying them all five top places.
Men's singles seeds: 1. Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), 2. Lin Dan (China), 3. Chen Long (China), 4. Peter Gade (Denmark), 5. Chen Jin (China), 6. Sho Sasaki (Japan), 7. Kenichi Tago (Japan), 8. Lee Hyun-Il (South Korea).
