Kolkata: Rio Olympic Silver medalist, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV Sindhu) who is aiming for the World Number 3 rank doesn’t want to give any extra significance to the All England Super Series which is set to commence from March 7. She feels that this prestigious tournament is like all the other Series she has played, according to PTI.
“I consider the All England as like any normal super series tournament. People may think as if it’s a big tournament by its name,” Sindhu said in an interview to the News Agency. She explained as to why she refused to treat this upcoming tournament differently. She said, “As a player, I would be playing the same players who I play in other Super Series matches tournaments, so it is the same for me.”
This may be absolutely true, but it has to be noted that only two Indians have been able to win the All England Super Series till date. One is Sindhu’s mentor and chief coach P Gopichand and the other being the legendary Prakash Padukone. Saina Nehwal did manage to come very close to the title in 2015 but ultimately failed when she lost to Olympic champion and World number 2 Carolina Marin.
Sindhu, who recently earned the World Number 5 rank is having the best time of her career. Apart from winning the Silver Medal in Olympics last year, she also grabbed her maiden Super Series title when she won the China Open. She also made it to the finals of the Hong Kong Super Series, which further qualified her for the prestigious BWF World Super Series Final in Dubai.
A true Champion by nature, Sindhu doesn’t let pressure get the better of her. She said, “I have no tension I only play to give my best.” Defeat is something which seems to be missing in Sindhu’s dictionary. After making it huge last season, she looks in no mood to stop her winning run. In the Premier Badminton League, she guided her team Chennai Smashers to its maiden title. After this, she went on to win the Syed Modi Grand Pix Gold Title last month.
The All England Super Series will not be a piece of cakewalk for the star shuttler though. She will be opening her campaign by facing Denmark’s Mette Poulsen. She will be tested highly when she faces World Number 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the quarter-finals, if she qualifies. Ying has defeated her five times previously. However, this in no way is affecting Sindhu who is preparing hard.
“I am preparing well and every match is equally important in the tournament. I have been playing with boys here which is helpful for me. I’m training hard day and night to achieve my goal,” she said. Sindhu, who became the youngest recipient of the Padma Shri in 2015 also accepted a Group 1 officer’s job offered by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.