I'll be marked now, need to find new strategy every game: Sindhu
World Champion PV Sindhu says she will be marked by opponents and would need to discover new strategies for every game to maintain her position in international badminton.
Olympic silver medallist Sindhu became the first Indian to win the historic World Championship gold medal after defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in the finals at Basel, Switzerland in August 2019.
The Indian badminton ace who is excited about the challenges she will face in the future said, “Pressure and responsibility will now be more. I know everybody will mark me now after the World Championship.”
“Now I have to really work harder and change a few things and come with new things because everyone can see my game and know what I am playing. So I have to go with new strategy every time I go into the court,” Sindhu told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC).
The 24-year-old from Hyderabad said besides all the sacrifices her parents made over the years, the World Championship win was a result of hard work even though it took a long time to be achieved.
Also read: This is my answer to those who questioned me: Sindhu
“I have been wanting this gold for five years. I have been losing every time. I also used to feel sad, but I always kept fighting back and working hard. My parents made a lot of sacrifices for me,” she said.
“Coaches role also has been important. My first coach was Mehboob Ali and then I have been under Gopi sir since I was 10. In badminton, you need to have a strong mindset.”
Sindhu will next play at the China Open World Tour Super 1000 (September 17-22) and Korea Open World Tour Super 500 (September 24-29) at Changzhou and Incheon City respectively.
“I am preparing for China and Korea Open, I will be leaving in a few days, that is my immediate goal. I hope to give my best,” she said
“This (gold) medal gave a big boost and I will move with this confidence. There are many events before Olympics, so I will just give 100 percent instead of taking pressure.”
Also read: PM Modi congratulates world champ Sindhu, Rijiju presents ₹10 lakh cheque
Sindhu felt confident during the finals of World Championship and said, “There was no pressure in the final. The quarterfinals was one of the good matches against Tai Tzu.”
“Playing Okuhara, everyone was saying whether I will repeat the 2017 final but for me I was not thinking about that. It was a fresh match for me. We knew each others’ game, as we have played a lot against each other. So there was no particular strategy.”
National coach Pullela Gopichand had recently said that India have not “invested enough in coaches”.
“There needs to be high level coaches, where they need to know everything about badminton to create a champion. Of course, Gopi sir himself has been a great player and a great coach. Now we have other coaches from abroad and they are helping us. But national coaches need to be much qualified, then definitely they can train more players and they will become champions,” Sindhu opined.
Also read: Haven’t invested in coaches: Gopichand worried for Indian badminton
The role of foreign coach Kim Ji Hyun of Korea, according to Sindhu, is important and has guided her in the best possible way in the last couple of months. “I have been training with Kim under the guidance of Gopi sir. It is not just one stroke, each stroke is important, we have to make each stroke perfect. We have been working on defence and front and back court and that really helped me,” she said.
Sindhu, who felicitated the winners of PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC), also gave a big thumbs-up to the tournament which completed its fifth edition here on Tuesday (September 10).
“It is a great idea and it is encouraging players of grassroot level. PNB Metlife is encouraging and supporting each of them. The number of participants is increasing and talent is there and we need to have tournaments like this for them to grow,” she said.
