India’s one of the biggest medal hopefuls at the Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu’s return to action was not the best. The COVID enforced break that she had completely disrupted her rhythm and therefore he got knocked out in the first round of the Yonex Thailand Open.
Since competing in the All England Championship last year she came back to feature in three events which include two in Thailand and then the BWF World Tour. Although she buckled up after her first-round exit at the Yonex Thailand Open, she could only manage to reach the quarterfinals at the Toyota Thailand Open. Followed by another disappointing result at the BWF World Tour where she could only manage one win. Clearly, things are not going as per plan for the reigning World Champion.
Despite all the hardships the 26-year-old is ready to learn from her mistakes in Thailand and implement them at the Swiss Open. “Definitely, not a good start to the year but I am happy we’re back on the court again. It’s good to play sports. Winning and losing are a part of life but playing and enjoying the sport is very important,” PV Sindhu told the Olympic Channel.
“I’ve learnt a lot from my losses in Bangkok. You do take away a lot from your mistakes. That’s what I picked up from the Asian leg. I came back and started training to iron out my chinks. I am hoping to come back much stronger,” she added.
Sindhu has made some tweaks in her training only in search of her rhythm. She moved out of her usual training place, Pullela Gopichand Academy and is now practicing at the Gachibowli stadium under South Korean coach Park Tae Sang’s tutelage.
With most of India’s top shuttlers staying back at the Gopichand Academy, Sindhu’s move out was a bit strange and therefore she is now training with some of the junior players. Also, she clarified how the ambience of a big stadium helps her in preparation and also adjusting herself with the blowers in considerably bigger stadiums.
“I think playing at Gachibowli will be an advantage for me. I am looking forward to Tokyo, where it’ll be a big stadium we’ll be playing in. Practising at Gachibowli will help me get used to bigger stadiums,” said PV Sindhu.
“It’s not easy to play in big stadiums. The flight of the shuttle differs a lot. If you practice at bigger stadiums it gets easier for you to adjust. That’s the only reason I am training at the Gachibowli,” the reigning World Champion explained.
“It was good I got the opportunity. I aim to make the most of it because the ultimate aim is to get the gold medal at Tokyo. To achieve that, I can do anything,” she added.
The Swiss Open marks the resumption of her Olympic qualification which was stopped due to COVID. Sindhu will face Turkey’s Neslihan Yigit in the first round at Basel with the event starting on March 2.
