Tokyo: PV Sindhu, one of the best shuttlers in the world at the moment feels that badminton has got it due after cricket in India and also stressed on the importance of participating in domestic competition.
When asked about the rise of badminton in India as a sport, she said in an interaction with The Times of India before her loss to Nozomi Okuhara in the Japan Open, “..After cricket, badminton has got its due recognition. More people are playing this game, which is good to see.”
The 22-year-old from Hyderabad has enjoyed a solid rivalry with Japanese Okuhara in recent times. While Nozomi defeated her in the world championship finals, Sindhu avenged the loss when she outplayed the world champion in the final of the recently concluded Korea Open.
On her dramatic win in Seoul last Sunday, she said,” I am really happy that I won the Korean Open. It wasn’t an easy tournament for me. It was a tough task and at no point was it a cake walk. The hardest part about this series in Korea was the long rallies in matches, but I was completely prepared for it.”
Calling this victory as, ‘sweet revenge’ she added further, “..You can say that Korean Open was sweet revenge.”
Although being a consistent performer at the international level, Sindhu wasn’t quite able to go cross that final hurdle in big tournaments. But she successfully broke the jinx and became the first Indian to win the Korea Open, few days ago.
Speaking on this, she said, “Let me tell you that it is all part and parcel of the game. You win some and you lose some. As a player, when you lose, you tend to learn more from such matches. However, I feel that players should simply believe in themselves and their ability. As a player I know that I have played my best in the last few months. However, failures are part of our career and I have learnt from every time I faltered on the court.”
On India’s growing dominance in world badminton, Sindhu opined, “I feel that India is really doing well at the international front as far as badminton in concerned. I really hope to see many more Indian players coming up to the big stage in the coming years. Indians have improved a lot and also are really doing well so definitely in the coming years we will see more players coming up.”
The Olympic silver medalist was also of the opinion that participating in domestic tournaments is crucial for the growth of a player. She said, “This (the national badminton championship) is an important tournament for me, just like it is for other players.Yes, I will be taking part in it. For one’s growth it’s crucial to take part in this tournament.”
Maintaining fitness is a crucial for succeeding in any sport and for Sindhu, the biggest challenge at the moment is keeping fit for the upcoming tournaments.
“It (her biggest challenge) has to be maintaining my physical fitness for the coming tournaments. On the court, as a player I have to read the opponent’s game and plan my strategies based on that.”
She also spoke about her training schedule, “I train for six days in a week for eight to ten hours of practice every day.”
However in all this success, she hasn’t forgotten the role played by coach Gopichand and said, “He (Gopichand) has been instrumental in my entire growth and for what I am today.”
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Great coverage