CHENNAI: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has fond recollections of the World Championships that was held for the first time in India in 2009. And so does his doubles partner Chirag Shetty. Satwik's father R Kasiviswanadham and brother Ramcharan watched the marquee event, which was held in Hyderabad, up close as they featured as a technical official and volunteer, respectively.
It was especially memorable for Satwik as his father had gifted him a special racquet — one he would go on to use in district/state-level meets — that belonged to one of the top Chinese players during the course of the tournament.
Chirag could not make it to Hyderabad then but he had heard legendary tales from his academy friends then, adding fuel to his passion for the game in the process. Now, the Indian combo will be bidding to make new memories in an event that returns to India after a gap of 17 years. After their Singapore Open success, the two-time bronze medallists in the renowned event were forced to take a break with this much-awaited event in mind.
Given that they're returning after an injury break, there are concerns if they can hit the ground running against some of the top sharks in the business. However, both Satwik and Chirag, in an interaction facilitated by Badminton Association of India, said that they are relishing the challenge. Excerpts...
On memories of the 2009 edition and what this championship means to them...
Satwik: So my father was umpiring that time in 2009 in Hyderabad and my brother was part of it as a volunteer in the same tournament. So the final was between China and Korea and the former won the third game 28-26. I think after that the Chinese guy threw his racquet into the crowd. My father got the racquet and I started playing with that racquet. I had already started playing but with that racquet, I started playing district/state level tournaments. I was also there for one or two days. So it's been a great journey and that was a great moment. So I'm looking forward to this tournament.
Chirag: A couple of my friends from my academy back then travelled to Hyderabad to watch the event live. Unfortunately, I couldn't go. But I remember them going there and buying a lot of stuff as well, which back then we didn't get in India. I could hear stories from them that they saw Lin Dan, Fu Haifeng, Lee Chong Wei, Taufiq Hidayat, Peter Gade... such stalwarts of the game competing at the World Championships. And they got to witness it firsthand. I was obviously enamoured, with just them talking about it. And I think I quite vividly remember watching the men's doubles finals. Back then, I didn't know I would be playing men's doubles. But I still remember men's doubles was the last event. It was probably one of the most exciting men's doubles World Championships matches that I have watched, which went right up to the very end, where the Chinese pair won it 28-26.
On challenges while making a return post injury break
Satwik: Physically, it's good. Mentally, it's tough to get back to the grind at the top level. But we're kind of used to it now. So we just need some good momentum going into the tournament. We are taking it (upcoming test) in a positive way. So hopefully, we can bring our A-game at the time. At the moment, all good with the body as well. I wouldn't say 100 per cent fit, but I'm mentally 90-95 per cent fit enough to play. In terms of confidence, we need to lift ourselves a little bit but otherwise, we are good to go.
Chirag: No matter how much you hate it, you have to at some point face it (injuries). And all you can do is to do everything possible to keep it away. And yet, if it happens, then you just have to deal with it. It was quite difficult, but we just kept believing that eventually it would get better. And we just have to do the right thing. Do proper rehab. Rest as much as possible. And be injury-free for the World Championships. And that's what we did. We didn't want to rush into playing tournaments and risk playing with an injury at the Worlds.
On playing in front of home fans & dealing with pressure
Satwik: I take it in a good way, because I'm playing in front of my people. So why should I take pressure? I mean, everyone is our well-wisher. So all my friends from my hometown are flying there to watch our game. So it's fun playing in front of them. So there will be a lot of support for us. So I mean, we always love playing in front of home fans. Even in the India Open over the years, we always played the final, semifinal... So we always loved playing in India. So we want to create that atmosphere again, the vibe again.
Chirag: We would want to go all the way while playing at home. But we would want to take it one match at a time. To have the support of home fans would definitely be a big boost. And yeah, we are really looking forward to it.
On their assessment of the draw
Satwik: I haven't been focussing on the draw at all. So everyone is fine for us right now. Like, I always say that if anyone asks me who is the toughest opponent, I will say ourselves. So we kill ourselves all the time because of the injuries and all the time. If you've good body, you would have been World No 1 for the longest time. So it's always us who get injured and get back. We are always in the chase mode. We are never in a comfortable zone. So with the draw, I think everyone is the same.
Right now, we're in a state that we just need to focus on ourselves. We have nothing to do with our opponents because we haven't played a tournament in some time.
Chirag: It's a decent draw. But every other pair that you play, I think it's always very tricky. Because I think, firstly, I think men's doubles right now, is a very, very open competition. I can't pick a pair who I would say is a favourite to win the title. So each pair that comes, I think we have to prepare accordingly and prepare a strategy and go into the match thinking that we need to be really up there from point one because you can't take anyone lightly.
On the never-ending challenges and what they have worked on in recent times
Chirag: It's always a work-in-progress. You'll never be perfect. And even if you win the biggest of titles and even if you lose the easiest of first rounds or second rounds, there's always a scope for improvement. Yes, we've been working on our flat exchanges and also on our service receiving and trying to keep it as solid as possible. And like I said, it's an ongoing process. And we know what we need to work on.
On Satwik being an uncle
Satwik: It's so much to have a baby at home. I didn't know it would be so much fun. Everything has changed. I think that was a much-needed break for the family. I think mom was very happy. Mom was there in the US. So I kind of visited and surprised them. I think that was the best moment till now in my life. I was there for two weeks or so. It's so much fun being with the kids. Nearby we have cousins also and they also have a one year, one-and-a-half-year baby. So I had a good time over there.