The news of Boonsak Ponsana's retirement last week was kind of expected but it still succeeded in leaving quite a number of people fearing for the future of badminton in Thailand.
Boonsak lifts the King's trophy after his victory at the 2015 All Thailand Championships.
Badminton in the country has in fact been in a transitional period for some time with a number of top-class players being forced to hang up their rackets due to injuries.
Last November, Maneepong Jongjit, suffering from a chronic shoulder injury, called it quits at the age of 24 only.
In February, Saralee Thoungthongkam, 37, had to retire after injuring her anterior cruciate ligament at the inaugural Thailand Masters, a development which ended the career of her mixed doubles partner Sudket Prapakamol, who is a year younger, as well.
And then came Boonsak, who announced his retirement from the sport on Dec 3.
"I had been thinking of retiring for a while because I have suffered for a long time because of an ankle injury," said the 34-year-old Boonsak.
"It is because of this injury that I am going into the forced retirement.
"I also need more time to take care of my family and look after my badminton school.
"However, I have one more event left in my schedule -- the professional league in India from Dec 28-Jan 15 -- and that will be the end of my long career as a badminton player."
Born in February 1982, Boonsak was introduced to the sport at the age of nine by his late father Jirasak. He was sent to train in China briefly when he was 14.
He kicked off his international career when he represented Thailand for the first time at the Asian Games 1998 in Bangkok at the age of 16 and then became a regular member of the national team.
He is widely regarded for his achievements and is the most prolific shuttler in the country's men's singles history.
He won two Superseries titles at the 2007 and 2012 Singapore Open where he finished second on other three occasions (2009, 2010 and 2013).
He was also runner-up at the 2012 Japan Open, where lost to Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the final.
"Definitely, Singapore Open is my favourite tournament," Boonsak said in an interview with the BWF, the world governing body for the sport.
At the Grand Prix Gold level, he lifted the 2004 Thailand Open and the 2008 Indian Open trophies.
In the domestic competitions, he won the All Thailand Championships for an unprecedented 13 times.
The only item missing from his impressive profile is an Olympic medal.
In his five Olympic appearances since 2000 in Sydney, his best performance was a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Athens Games _ the best result by a Thai shuttler at the quadrennial tournament.
He lost to eventual gold medallist Taufik Hidayat in the semi-finals and then to Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the bronze medal play-off. Both Hidayat and Kuncoro are from Indonesia.
His disappointment at the Athens Games has lingered on and could be felt again in his Facebook post regarding the passing away of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Oct 13.
"I got an audience with the King just one time before we left for the tournament," he wrote.
"I would have had another audience if I had won a medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
"All the medallists from Athens were granted an audience with the King. Seeing that, I couldn't stop my tears. I felt really sorry to have missed such a great opportunity.
"However, I will always feel proud whenever I can win a trophy graciously offered by His Majesty.
"I am proud not only because I am a national team player but also because I am a player of the King."
Prof Charoen Wattanasin, a former president of the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT), said Boonsak was one of the best players the country has ever had and that it was the right time for him to retire.
"It is time for him to retire. In badminton, when you lose confidence and you are not in a great shape, it is better to retire," he said.
"He is a legend of Thai badminton and he belongs to the fifth generation of the men's singles players."
Charoen added that taking the Olympic result into account, Boonsak might be considered as the best among the Thai shuttlers because he came the closest to winning the country's first-ever medal in badminton at the Olympics.
"In many other sports at the Olympic Games, all the semi-finalists are guaranteed bronze medals. Unfortunately, it was not the case for badminton," Charoen said.
"It is a pity that Boonsak could not to have that [the medal]. For me, I think he has the same talent as Sompol [Kookasemkit]."
Charoen said he saw Boonsak make gradual progress since he was young and although the shuttler captured numerous titles, he could have done better if he had had better coaches.
"I do not think he made the best use of his talent. He should have had better coaches," he said.
Asked about Boonsak's successor, the former BAT president said it would be really tough to find one immediately.
He added that world No.11 Tanongsak Saensomboosuk put on a great show recently but his skill and consistency could not match that of Boonsak.
"Tanongsak is not steady enough," Charoen said.
"For now, I do not see any player who can replace Boonsak and I am concerned about the next Olympic Games, as we might not have any player qualifying for the men's singles event [at Tokyo 2020]."
Thanach Assawanapakas, a badminton commentator and BAT assistant secretary-general, echoed Charoen's praise for Boonsak and rated him as the best shuttler the country has ever produced.
Thanach said: "As far as I am concerned, he is the country's best ever player in the men's singles. He is not only a good player but also a fine role model for all Thais.
"Technically, he is world class. He is in the same league as Taufik Hidayat, Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. The only obstacle he could not overcome was the physical disadvantage. He also suffered from a stomach problem."
However Thanach said there are some prospects who are equipped with enough talent to shine.
"Adulrat Namkul and Kantaphon Wangcharoen have the potential and can succeed Boonsak," he said.
Adulrat was runner-up to Tanongsak at the 2016 All Thailand Championships, while Kantaphon Wangcharoen, the top-ranked junior in the world, reached the semi-finals of this year's World Junior Championships.
As for Tanongsak, who has won three titles this year -- the Denmark Open, Thailand Open and All Thailand Championships -- Thanach does not believe he can succeed Boonsak.
The 26-year-old Tanongsak, Thanach added, is prone to injuries and lacks discipline.
"I am not afraid that there is no-one at the moment who can take over from Boonsak," he said.
"However, some stars always come along. In the women's singles, we could not think of a player to succeed Somruethai Charoensri, but we later found Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisan.
"At the end of Salakjit Ponsana's career, Ratchanok Intanon took over the stage.
"There is a hope that someone will fill in the void created by Boonsak's absence."
Boonsak, on his part, has a strong belief that there are young players who can follow in his footsteps.
However, the shuttler, who was once ranked among the top four in the world, is not sure if he will be able to play a role in delivering his own successor.
"I was there for almost 20 years and I want to thank everyone for their support -- the associations, sponsors, colleagues, coaches and my family," he said.
"I might have a chance to work for the country again, maybe as a staff coach."