CHENNAI: AFTER winning the World Tour Finals in 2018, it took 19 BWF events before PV Sindhu won the World Championships in August last year. Since then, the Olympic silver medallist took part in 10 BWF events, reaching three quarterfinals, two semifinals and one final and is yet win something. For the World No 6 and India’s best bet for a medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, this can be worrying.
But then, when the dry run ends, Sindhu usually delivers medals in big events. Preparing for next month’s All England Open, she is not worried about her form. With an Olympic berth almost certain, she admits that a lot of fine-tuning is required as she gears up for another crucial year. Working on her defensive strokes, Sindhu feels she needs to find a way to be calmer on the court. “I have had some downs. But it’s fine. I have been working on mistakes. I have been working on my defence. It’s not like I have been playing bad. It depends on the particular day and I have been making unforced errors. Those did not help because there were some close matches. I also have to be a little more patient. I made silly errors where I could have bagged points,” she said.
In the city to lay the foundation stone for the PV Sindhu Badminton Academy and Stadium in a tie-up with Heartfulness Institute, the 24-year-old feels that the number of tournaments on the circuit gives players little time to alter their game. “There are so many back-to-back tournaments. I am not complaining about it. But when you make mistakes, there is very less time to correct them before the next event,” she added.
Swapping between the sport and off-court commitments, Sindhu has less expectations from herself. It is the expectations from those around her that pushes her. Instead of thinking of it as pressure, she has found a way to enjoy the love and support that she gets.
But even for the most elite of athletes, a competition like the Olympics tends to get to the head. Revealing that she is working on how to tackle mental issues, Sindhu is expecting a surprise in Tokyo as far as the women’s game is concerned. “The standard of the players has increased. Everyone is doing well. I think the top 1-15 players are of the same standard. It’s just about who plays better on the particular day. You can’t say one particular player is going to do well as far as the Olympics is concerned. Let’s wait and see. Strategies keep changing every time you play someone and it’s important to adapt to go all the way.”