The 2014 World Badminton Championships kicked off on Monday at Ballerup Super Arena, some 20km northwest to Denmark's capital of Copenhagen.

Men's singles top seed Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia will have the best chance to win his first world championship title this year, as his arch rival, China's Lin Dan, failed to qualify for this year's event.

Addressing a media briefing on Sunday during the opening ceremony, Lee said he knew he was not in a good condition due to injuries, but he would try his best.

China's No. 1 player of the men's singles, Chen Long, said he had made some improvements during his warmup in northeast China's Shenyang, and he would make some changes in techniques.

Women's singles top seed Li Xuerui from China, who was defeated last year by Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon, said she has full confidence in winning this year.

Li's compatriots Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan, the 2011 world champion, are seeded second and third respectively.

About 400 players from five continents are competing in the event, according to the organizer.