Ace shuttler focused on road to Paris
BENGALURU: After a long practice session, ace shuttler
PV Sindhu
and her coach Agus Dwi Santoso sat down for a courtside discussion about her game at the
Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy
(PPBA) here on Saturday.
Such talks have been a norm since the Indonesian coach was roped in earlier in the year. At times, Agus even stopped her practice sessions midway briefly to correct her mistakes 'then and there'.
Since shifting base to Bengaluru in November, Sindhu is 'happy with the new team', which also includes mentor Prakash Padukone, who keeps a close eye during training. Her sparring partners range from one to three players each time. She is also picking the brains of both Prakash and Agus with her eyes fixed on the big year ahead, which includes the
Paris Olympics
.
Sindhu is mentally prepared for the expectations the Olympics brings. "There is always the Olympic pressure. People want you to get a medal. People might say whatever they want, but they don't know what is going on behind the scenes… Mentally, it is hard. But, for me, the Olympics is going to be different this time - work smarter and play smartly," said Sindhu, who also talked about the negative traction she got on social media during her poor run.
"I saw a lot of criticism. Comments like 'she is old now', 'maybe she is tired', 'She's done', 'she has enough Olympic medals so what next?'. I guess it's all in the mind on how one takes all such outside noise. When I was injured, I was upset but I was also thinking that I could come back. I ignored all these talks and focused on what I had to do," pointed out Sindhu.
However, before she features in the Paris Games, the 28-year-old will have to test herself at major
BWF
competitions. The shuttler, who returned to action in India's gold-medal triumph at the
Badminton Asia Team Championships
(BATC) last week, was out of competitive action due to injury since October.
No. 12 in the Race to Paris rankings, Sindhu is well placed to book her Olympics berth. She has set her sights on the French Open (750) and the All England Open (1000), starting March 5 and 12 respectively while the Swiss Open (March 19) and a few other tournaments could be an option before the Olympic qualification cycle ends on April 28. These events will help Sindhu know where she stands and the areas she needs to improve on.
'NEED TO REMAIN INJURY-FREE'
"It is important to give 100 percent in all tournaments that I am going to play here on. I cannot say that my (Olympic qualification) ranking is good now. There won't be any let up in intensity," Sindhu said.
"Next up is the French Open. It is an Olympic qualification period, and it is important for me to get match practice as I have only played one tournament (BATC) after the injury. Everyone (competitors) is going to be prepared to give their best. It is not going to be easy, and I will have to be mentally and physically fit and also remain injury-free."
English (US) ·