HYDERABAD: Thanks to a packed badminton calendar, Indian stars enthral fans all over the world, from the United States to Japan. Aficionados and fans back home have to wait for a substantial time to see their favourite shuttlers face-off, as the stars trot the globe frequently. It has been about 10 months since the country last hosted a big event (India Open in January). Starting Tuesday, Lucknow is set to host the Syed Modi International Championship. However, the number of star players that were supposed to hit the courts in the ‘City of Nawabs’ has dwindled in the days leading up to the tournament.
A day after defending champion PV Sindhu pulled out of the BWF World Tour Super 300 tournament, Kidambi Srikanth too extracted himself, citing ‘injury concerns.’ “I shall not be playing the tournament due to some injury concerns. With that, the year has now come to an end for me.....” he tweeted on Monday evening.
That is not all. There is a threat to another defending champion’s participation. This newspaper learnt that N Sikki Reddy — who finished first and second in the mixed doubles and women’s doubles categories last year — is down with sickness, and will take a call on defending her title after assessing her health condition. She is scheduled to play her first match on Wednesday.
“I was feeling quite okay till Monday morning. I even went through my practice session. Then my throat went sore in the evening, and I have an acute body ache. But there is one day to go before I play my first match. So, I will take a decision only on Wednesday. I am getting all the medical assistance that is needed,” Reddy, World number 22 in mixed doubles, told this newspaper.
Despite a depleted field, India has a lot of other shuttlers to look forward to, such as Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, HS Prannoy, Ajay Jayaram, B Sai Praneeth, the men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and the fast-rising Sameer Verma. The latter is the defending men’s singles champion.
The tournament also serves an opportunity for players like Prannoy, who have not had the best of seasons. The 26-year-old had been battling health issues for a while, before making two ordinary appearances at China Open and Hong Kong Open. “I had some health issues from August itself. I played quite a few tournaments while still not feeling well. Now, I am okay. It is just about getting back that mindset of playing long matches. Once that is achieved, things will definitely fall into place,” the World number 23 said.
Asked what he thinks of his chances at the event, he said: “I would be satisfied if I could at least reach the quarterfinals or the semis.” Considering majority of the top singles players are not going to be a part of the tournament, there is a good chance that many Indians might end up on the podium.
vishal@newindianexpress.com