NEW DELHI: Those who have seen HS Prannoy live will know how aggressive and intense his style is. On Wednesday, at the Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta India Open, the 23-year-old was expected to breeze past the lesser-known Shreyansh Jaiswal. But the opposite happened. There were times when one thought the two were warming up, only to see the scoreboard change in favour of Shreyansh every time the shuttle touched the ground.
Now, this was not one of those upsets where a lower-ranked player triumphs over a favourite. Prannoy was playing with a corn in his toe. While he had the problem since the recently concluded PBL, the lack of proper rest and treatment has made it worse. “The procedure that my doctor did two weeks back was not proper. I did it in Hyderabad as it is a simple thing to remove a corn. But things did not go well for me. This is unexpected and affecting me mentally. But what to do? We just need to accept certain things and move on,” he said after the defeat.
In any sport, adequate rest is key for healing. But professional sports has changed so much recently. There is competition, money and many factors involved that an athlete’s health and fitness is often compromised. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) hasn’t helped things much. Making it mandatory to play 12 tournaments every year for the top 15 players in singles and top 10 in doubles has put them under more pressure.
“I just came here because of the rule. I already missed two tournaments in the start. I couldn’t afford another so early in the season. Since I can’t concede to a fellow countryman, I had to go ahead with the match. And when I spoke to Gopi sir, he also asked me to come and play. I am again doing a procedure tomorrow and it will take time to heal. So I am not sure when I can return. Probably, I can make it for the All England. But it all depends on how it heals. I will be lucky if I am in the CWG squad,” the World No 10 added.
It’s risky: Saina
Saina Nehwal, who has always been vocal about the issue, was once again at it. After a disappointing loss to Tai Tzu-ying at the Indonesia Masters, she just about got past Sophie Holmboe Dahl of Denmark. With a history of injuries, Saina looked a little jaded. “It’s all about giving the body time. It’s very tough as this is a killing sport. It looks easy from outside. There are lots of challenging movements, it’s risky. And you have to play so many tough matches. I just want time and be fresh for tournaments. I don’t want to rush,” Saina said.
She also hinted that her participation in the Asian Team Championships is doubtful. This year, with the CWG and Asian Games, there are lots of team events. It’s not fair to criticise players if they want to take care of their body.
“You have to understand that I still need time. It’s not like I am not with India. I have played so many Uber Cups. Every time, I have won matches. I make it a point to get good results in the team championships. So mostly, I will be looking forward to CWG and Asian Games which are also team events. Those are the two targets. It’s a killing calendar. I haven’t seen anything like this before. I feel it has to be reduced. I understand the point of money and sponsorships. But they have to rethink.”
INDIA RESULTS:
(1st Round)
Men’s singles: K Srikanth (Ind, 2) bt Lee Cheuk Yiu (HKG) 21-17, 21-18; Sourabh Verma (Ind) lost to Shi Yuqi (Chn, 4) 21-19, 21-11; S Jaiswal (Ind) bt HS Prannoy (Ind, 5) 21-4, 21-6; Sameer Verma (Ind) bt Anders Antonsen (Den, 7) 22-20, 21-8; B Sai Praneeth (Ind, 8) bt Rajiv Ouseph 21-11, 17-21, 21-17.
Women’s singles: PV Sindhu (Ind, 1) bt Natalia Koch Rohde (Den) 21-10, 21-13; Ratchanok Intanon (Tha, 3) bt R Rasika (Ind) 21-4, 21-6; S Nehwal (Ind, 4) bt Sofie Holmboe Dahl (Den) 21-15, 21-9; Biewen Zhang (USA, 5) bt Vaishnavi Reddy (Ind) 21-19, 20-22, 21-12; Cheung Nyan Yi (HKG, 6) bt Saili Rane (Ind) 21-14, 21-5; Yip Pui Yin (HKG, 7) bt Rituparna Das (Ind) 20-22, 21-13, 21-12; Beatriz Corrales (Esp, 8) bt Riya Mukherjee (Ind) 20-22, 21-18, 21-12.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com
