Anders Antonsen was furious. Denmark had just lost to India 3-2 in the 2022 Thomas Cup semifinals in Bangkok, and as he walked past, the world number two pulled off his sweat-soaked jersey and flung it at Vijaydeep Singh’s face. Not a gesture of sportsmanship. Pure, unfiltered rage. Peace was eventually brokered in the washroom. The Danish head coach and Mathias Boe mediated. Antonsen apologised, profusely. They hugged it out. “I understood why,” Vijaydeep says. “India winning was troubling the storied powerhouses that much.” That moment — a Danish star’s disbelief expressed through a sweaty jersey — told Vijaydeep everything he needed to know. Indian badminton had not just won a match. It had become a threat. *** Vijaydeep comes to badminton through blood. His father, Pitamber Singh, was India’s first badminton head coach at NIS Patiala. Growing up on that campus, Vijaydeep dabbled in swimming, even trained in cricket alongside Navjot Singh Sidhu under Col. CK Nayudu. But badminton pulled harder. Multiple national titles in doubles followed, as did Thomas Cup appearances in the …