“The world of badminton had modified in each facet, and strolling onto a present courtroom was like a time warp,” mentioned Webster.
“Trying again I had been taking part in in black-and-white TV, and now stepped into full-colour HD. It was merely superior.”
Within the years since, Webster has usually been on the tip of lopsided scorelines.
“After I first entered the tour, I had goals of extra success, nevertheless it’s a powerful tide to swim in opposition to once I by no means performed as a junior,” he mentioned.
“A few instances I needed to play with flu or migraine and undergo the results. However I settle for it.
“It is akin to climbing these large mountains once more, when dangerous climate beat me again, and I went up once more for a fifth try in whole adversity, scaring myself to the purpose of my toes trembling me off the ice footholds that I lower, and pushing past the place I couldn’t reverse.”
Nonetheless, there have been memorable moments.
There was the primary time he gained a sport on the BWF circuit, when he beat the Netherlands’ Rakesh Sharma 23-21 earlier than shedding 26-28, 15-21. It was 2022 and his opponent was 34 years previous then.
“Being out on a badminton courtroom when my opponents are typically 40 to 50 years youthful, folks inform me that may be a victory,” mentioned Webster.
“When I’ve carried out properly and the umpire says: ‘respect’, I really feel too that I’m taking part in for them, since most of them are former gamers they usually too should keep engaged with the ‘dependancy’.
“There’re so many individuals that want they had been on courtroom taking part in as a result of they both had been badminton gamers or need to be a badminton participant. However for a lot of causes they can not play … I really feel like that I am fulfilling their want.”
Together with his story garnering some consideration on-line, followers have requested wefies and spare shirts whereas others ask how he is maintained his mobility to play a sport that may be powerful on the physique.
“A lot of that’s as a result of my complete household had been extremely lively. I by no means stopped shifting as a child, I climbed bushes, cycled 1000’s of miles a 12 months, 200 miles in a day and went climbing most weekends,” he mentioned.
“It made me powerful and sturdy (and) my thought processes haven’t modified or aged in any means.”
