CHENNAI: Many top Indian shuttlers are caught between the devil and deep sea. In what could prove to be a severe blow for Indians looking to qualify for Tokyo Olympics, seven prominent players have decided to skip the All England Championships, beginning March 11, due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The likes of HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma, Saurabh Verma, doubles specialists Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, to name a few, have opted to give the renowned event a miss. That could possibly mean the end of Olympic dreams for some, who had a mathematical chance of qualifying, as the All England Open is a World Tour Super 1000 tournament offering ranking points.
“We wanted to play but my parents were not happy with the idea. We decided against going today (Thursday). We had a chat with our coaches and took the call to go home for a week or so,” doubles ace Satwik said. For players like Prannoy and Sameer — who are ranked 27th and 36th, respectively in the Race to Tokyo — Olympic dreams might seem far-fetched. But for Satwik and partner Chirag, this decision could prove to be crucial.
“I think we have done well in the first half of the qualifiers. Obviously, if the players who are ranked below us do very well, they can overtake us. But I think we are safe,” Satwik, ranked ninth in the Race to Tokyo, said. For Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy, who is also giving All England a miss, it was a similar tale. The former didn’t want to take chances. “My partner didn’t want to go so I had no choice. Personally, I don’t think it’s too risky. If it was, the government would have put out a travel advisory asking us not to go,” Sumeeth said. Those who have pulled out might have to pay a hefty fine.
Some of the trainees from the Gopichand Academy have decided to go home after a man from an IT firm near the academy in Hyderabad tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. Satwik, who’s from Amalapuram in Andhra, was due to leave on Thursday. Furthermore, there were rumours of one more case in the city. “I’ll decide whether to come back or not after a week or so. If things get worse, I’ll maybe train in Mumbai,” he said.
Saina taking the risk
Among goers is Saina Nehwal. She is placed 22nd in the Race to Tokyo and in desperate need for points. Parupalli Kashyap, Saina’s husband, revealed they will be travelling. But Kashyap, who’s recovering from a back injury, is unlikely to feature in the tournament. “I’ll be going even though there are doubts over to my participation. I haven’t done much training for the last two weeks as I’m still recovering,” he said.
“Saina is in a tight situation. She is fit and I believe she is playing well. So I want her to play. I want to ensure that she gets help when required.”
India Open under cloud
The BAI will take a call on the India Open next week. There’s uncertainty regarding the meet scheduled in New Delhi from March 24-29, with restrictions on foreign players.