HYDERABAD: Commitment to work makes talented people champions. After her silver medal at the World Championships last month, PV Sindhu had missed a few practice sessions, owing to commitments off the court.
In an exclusive chat with Express, the World No 4 had revealed that she made up for the time lost by stretching her training schedule on Wednesdays and Saturdays — both are half days at the Pullela Gopichand Academy.
She probably had one thing in mind. How to overcome the world champion, Nozomi Okuhara. She did that on Sunday in Seoul, beating the Japanese 22-20, 11-21, 21-18 at the Korea Open Superseries final.
Momentous occasions unveil rivalries, as was witnessed in the recent past, between Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin. After the 2016 Olympics, it was between Marin and Sindhu. Okuhara-Sindhu might also be the beginning of a new rivalry, with the lanky Indian being the attacker and the diminutive Okuhara banking on strong defence and net play. Their head-to-head record reads 4-4.
Asked about the brewing rivalry, former national champion Trupti Murgunde said, “After Rio, they have played some intense matches. It’s good to see them play like this. I would not want to use the term rivalry.”
Gopichand academy trainee RMV Gurusaidutt also refrained from using the word and said that women’s singles has been open for quite a while.
“Even when Marin dominated, Sindhu, Saina and a few others were able to pluck some good trophies. There are a lot of players who can do well. These two have played some epic matches in the last few weeks. This shows there is a lot of competition.”
After Sindhu triumphed over He Bingjiao in the semifinal, the country got excited about the re-match with Okuhara.
Queried whether she saw any change in Sindhu’s game, Murgunde said, “Sindhu looked more aggressive than the Worlds final. There were fewer rallies.”
Mohammed Siyadath Ullah, a prominent support staff at the academy, said Sindhu’s defence has improved substantially. “Before the Olympics, this area of her game was weak. Now, the scenario has changed,” Siyadath noted, noting that Japanese shuttlers are predominantly strong in defence.
Murgunde said that consistency is another thing she has added to her repertoire. “She has evolved so much. I see a lot of maturity. I have known her for years and she was not like this. She does not give away points easily and that is why she has become consistent.”
vishal@newindianexpress.com