CHENNAI: Getting injured while training or playing is something most athletes deal with at some point or the other in their careers. What if that happens when you are enjoying a vacation? That is exactly what happened to one-half of India’s best-ranked doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy when he injured his chest bone. The 18-year-old is expected to return to action at India Open — commencing on March 26 — after spending more than two months off-court.
Last December, he was on a USA trip when he collided with a stranger and sustained a hairline fracture to his chest bone. With Premier Badminton League (PBL) only a few days away (December 22), he chose to go ahead with the tournament, even though he had “felt pain”. In a chat with this daily on Tuesday, the World No 20 revealed that the PBL stint aggravated the injury.
“The doctors told me that I should not have taken part in PBL. I aggravated my injury because of that,” Rankireddy said. Though he has made a full recovery, he is taking baby steps before he sets foot on court. “I started training two weeks ago. But, it mostly has been off-court, with the physios and at the gym. The physios have advised me to take things slowly. I have not started on-court training.”
Asked whether his participation at the India Open was confirmed, he said: “That decision will be made by the coaches and the physios. I think I will be ready for the tournament. On-court training of two to three days will be enough to get back into the groove. ”
In his last BWF assignment (at Syed Modi International Badminton Championships in November), he had reached the final with his regular partner Chirag Shetty. Missing out on having a go at the All England Championships trophy this year was a ‘disappointing’ experience for him. “It was a bit disappointing because we could have produced some good results. The losing men’s doubles finalists were from Malaysia. Chirag and I had defeated one from the pair when he had partnered with someone else in the past. So, in a way, we missed a big chance.”
Tan Kim Her, the Malaysian coach who has been credited with elevating the quality of Indian doubles players, quit the role recently and surprised many shuttlers, including Rankireddy. The Indonesian duo Flandy Limpele and Namrih Suroto will be the new coaches. “I met the new coaches. They have told me to ensure that I am fully fit to play. Then I will start training under them.”