By Amit Kumar DasOdense (Denmark), Oct 17 (PTI) US Open champion H SPrannoy today attributed his rise in world badminton to a"healthy pressure" in Indian men's singles and said he wouldlook to reach his full potential by qualifying for theCommonwealth Games and Asiad.
In a season that saw him return from a series ofinjuries, Prannoy was hailed as the giant-killer after hisrampaging run at the Indonesia Open. He was bestowed with thebiggest deal during the recent PBL auction.
"It has been a good year compared to last couple of yearswhen nothing happened. The start of the year was good with PBLbut I am really disappointed with All England and theNationals and Syed Modi tournament," the 25-year-old Indiantold PTI after returning from a gym session here.
He is here to compete in the Denmark Open Super Series.
"Good thing is that men's singles started doing well andit had a major impact on me. In 2016, me, Srikanth and Kashyapwere injured and we were trying for Olympic qualifications anda lot of tournaments we couldn't do well. But this year fromApril onwards, men's singles have been exceptional and thatgave a lot of confidence. There was healthy pressure on us andthus we had five players in top 20.
"But I think a lot needs to be done in the next one year.
It is crucial for me as I am 25 and it is the prime of my lifeand this is the time to make it big," said Prannoy, who willface Emil Holst of Denmark in the opening round tomorrow.
Asked about Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Prannoysaid: "It is a big thing. Getting a medal in CWG is easierthan qualifying for the CWG because the number of players wehave in top 20 and next three months will be crucial. So, weneed consistent performances, we need to have big wins andbeat top players. It is going to be tough."Injuries and indifferent form has weighed him down overthe years and he had a stop-start campaign. One moment he wason cloud nine -- clinching the 2015 Swiss Open title -- andthe next he was left to deal with a toe injury that ruled himout of action.
His back has been a constant problem and yet he managedto achieve a career-best ranking of World No 12 in 2015, thehighlight of which was shocking the then World No 1 Lin Dan.
His injury-prone journey continued this season. He had asuccessful PBL but after that he made an early exit in theIndia Open in March and skipped Singapore and Malaysia to workon his fitness and game.
Asked if the number of tournaments is taking a toll onplayers, Prannoy said: "It is true the number of tournamentsthat we play is quite high. This is not a state leveltournament, it is a super series tournament where each roundis very exhausting. The body sometimes doesn't take it withcontinuous training and travelling.
"But it is upto individuals. Some players are injuryprone like me. I know I can't play three tournaments on thestretch. So it needs to be sorted before by the players. Asfar as BWF is concerned, I am happy there are many tournamentsbecause only when badminton is in news continuous, it attractssponsors, so it is upto individuals, I think."Prannoy played only his second match in about threemonths at the Indonesia Open, where he beat Lee Chong Wei andChen Long on successive days to reach the semifinals. He hadalso beaten Lin Dan in the very first round of the 2015 FrenchOpen.
However, he didn't want to rule the 'Holy Trinity' ofworld badminton out of contention.
"They (Lee, Lin) have been able to do it for last 8-10years. Now it is tough for them and lots of players have beenable to beat them consistently. The competition in the nextgeneration is too much and it would be difficult to have thatsort of dominance," he said.
Asked about next month's Senior Nationals where the top20 players will be playing from the pre-quarterfinals, hesaid: "It is an extra tournament for us so we have to get usedto the conditions as soon as possible.
"We won't have time but as experienced players we need todo that. There will different pressure with lot of youngsterswould want to beat you. So it is going to be tough."His rise helped him to fetch a whopping deal of Rs 62lakh in the Premier Badminton League auction early this monthand he is now looking to hire a full time trainer.
"I expected 15 percent hike but I didn't expect so much.
I was lucky. Praneeth missed out because his name came inlast. I can think about my career and look to extend itbecause I get injured so much so I am looking for a trainer.
"I had a lot of issues with my training since childhood.
So now I can start doing what I need, so I am planning to getsomeone who can be with me all the time and guide it," saidthe 2014 Indonesia Grand Prix Gold champion before rushing offto grab his lunch. PTI ATK AHAH.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
