"Coach was telling me you're playing wrong": PV Sindhu talks about adjustments made during pre-quarterfinals victory at Olympics 2021

Reigning women's world champion PV Sindhu stormed into the quarterfinals after a 21-15, 21-13 victory over Mia Blichfeldt. The only Indian shuttler left at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu dominated most of the game and wrapped up the match in 41 mins. This was Sindhu's fifth victory over Blichfeldt and she now leads her Danish opponent 5-1 in head to head.

At the start of the match, Sindhu lost the first two points but then recovered well to lead 11-7 in the first half of the first set. Sindhu also took a review in between, which she lost. It was neck-to-neck until 16-15 before Sindhu went on a 5-point streak to bag the game. The Indian shuttler dominated the second half as she took the second set 21-13 in just 19 minutes.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Sindhu said:

"Yeah, I started off well and I think in the first set at around 15-16, I gave up a couple of points where I was rushing in my defense. My coach was continuously telling me that you're playing the wrong way. But I think I realized that after 2-3 points and immediately changed my approach."

"I think after that I completed the first game and I think the second game was pretty much fine because I was maintaining the lead and I was under control."

Sindhu said she had learned her lesson from the last time she faced Blichfeldt. The Indian shuttler said:

"I didn't give away many points in the starting of the second game and maintained the lead to finish it off. But yeah, I think first game was very, very important because, you know, even though you're leading, she's not going to give up because it happened the last time in Switzerland where I was leading. But then she came and leveled the game. So I was very aware of that. And I kept my focus till the end."

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On being asked about the gradual progression she has made in her game from the group stage to today's match, she said:

"Yes, definitely ( I have made progress in my game). I think today I gained more momentum. Also the intensity, number and length of the rallies have increased."

"In the first round when I played against Israel, they weren't as many rallies as compared to yesterday. Not were they as intense in the group stage."

"And I think today it was very intense in the first game. It is important to know when to up the tempo and I think I did that today. I am happy about it."

She is set to play Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals, who is currently ranked fifth in the world. This is what Sindhu had to say about the prospect of facing the Japanese shuttler (the quotes from this section were recorded prior to Akane Yamaguchi's pre-quarterfinals match, which she won in straight games):

"She's yet to play her next match. I don't think it's going to be easy for her to qualify. I'll look at her match and prepare for tomorrow as well."

Sindhu wants to focus on herself and not her opponent ahead of her next match. She said:

"Whoever it is I face tomorrow, what is important is for me to go back and recover well and come back stronger for the next match. I think that is very important at the moment."

The longest rally of the match against Blichfeldt lasted 28 shots. Sindhu eventually won that rally. Speaking on the long rallies and match strategy, Sindhu said:

"I knew going in she's an aggressive player. I think her attack was really good. In the first game, she was rushing my defense. It was important for me not to let her attack because she can swing momentum in her favor then."

"So I think, yeah, that's how I strategized my game today against her (by creating long rallies to decrease the frequency of quick points) and it worked out well."

Sindhu took a review challenge while the scores were at 11-4 in the first game. She went on to lose the challenge and said:

"I just thought that because it was not too fast from the first side. The flight would have been a bit haywire, but I think it was a huge out. I didn't take it deliberately but I think that was the time because you never know, you get it sometimes. All you do is just let it go but there is nothing wrong in challenging it."

She had a 4-1 head-to-head record against Blichfeldt before the match. When asked if that gave her a psychological advantage going into the match, Sindhu said:

"I don't think about that at all because I recently lost against her in Thailand. What I think of is my previous match. I won that and its important because it reflects my present form. I only look at opponents to analyze them. So strategize wise and technique-wise I kept a track of my opponent."

Sindhu was further probed about what she learned from her defeat against Blichfeldt in Thailand and how she used that knowledge to beat her today. She replied:

"It's very important that even though you're leading, you don't relax your mind. In Thailand, that is what happened to me. I won the first game. I was almost five points ahead in the second game and immediately two-three points went away. So I focussed till the very end this time."

When asked what was going through her head when her Danish opponent seemed to be making a solid comeback into the match earlier today. Sindhu said:

"Even when she won a few points on the trot, I wasn't that nervous. I knew if I lost my nerves, I would give her more points. So instead, I just kept myself calm and focused. Even my coach backed me to not focus on the lost points. He told me to just focus on the next one. That really helped me"

Sindhu has a very simple reaction to any recently-concluded point during her game. She said:

"I think that it is very important to forget the points you win or lose because if you think about the earlier points, you might not focus on the current one."

Sindhu talks about her game, opponents, strategy and mental preparedness

PV Sindhu will face Akane Yamaguchi next in the quarterfinals

Sindhu has been one of India's brightest stars in badminton over the last few years. She has won big tournaments and has more often than not delivered in crunch situations.

She has the right tools to be termed as an elite-level athlete on the world stage, not just due to her game but also her mental attitude.

When asked about her preparation before the match and recovery time, Sindhu said:

"Every match is very important to us and recovery depends on the time and matches. So since I finished my match early today, it's time for me to go back and just relax my muscles. The focus is to release the stiffness in the body so I am fresh for tomorrow"

"I had my physio with me so she made sure everything was fine. And I stretch really well and eat good food. So these are the few things we have to make sure that we do it the right way to prepare for tomorrow (or any match I play)."

Sindhu was also asked about the technical factors of the drift. The Indian shuttler. along with others, experienced some drift at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza. When asked if it suits her game, she said:

"The drift is unpredictable. You never know when it's going to change. Sometimes it's fast while on other occasions it's slow. So you need to have the capacity to change your game accordingly."

"As for me, I've been getting used to it. As I mentioned, I've also played in the Gachibowli Stadium (Hyderabad) and we made sure that we get used to the situation before itself so that we don't get into trouble when we are playing the matches here in Tokyo."

"We have to understand and prepare well for everything because every day it is going to be different."

Sindhu also answered on what was the drift difference between a group stage match and today's knockout encounter. She said:

"A little bit haywire. Today it was a bit faster from the side where I won the first set. In the group matches, it was faster from the other side, so maybe it also depends on each court."

She went on to list the points which control the drift factor. Sindhu said:

"In between the rallies if you control the shuttle, the drift is fine. Even if you play safe, it can go out. It depends on that particular day, on your mind, how you are playing, how you are controlling the shuttle and if its going high or low."

"Ultimately, whether you like the drift or not, you have to get used to it."

Sindhu was asked about her focus during big tournaments and how she stays in the zone for a mega event like the Olympics. She said:

"I hope it continues the same way (my focus and me staying in the zone), but I don't think it's about big tournaments. I do take it as a compliment, however.

"For me, i break it down first to every single match and then I further breakdown the matches on a point-by-point basis. For me, the attention and focus is on the next point in hand, not anything before or after it. That is how I look at things to stay in the zone at all times."

The final question put to her was about her opponent and whether she analyzes their game. Sindhu said:

"Yes, we do watch the game and analyze them. I'm sure they would do the same thing. So I just feel that it evens out and whoever plays better on the day, wins the match."

"It (the video analysis) does help understand the opponent and their game better, but ultimately it cancels out more often than not as both players are doing it. So it comes down to who is performing better on the given day."

Sindhu's next match is 1:30 PM IST tomorrow against Akane Yamaguchi. The winner will progress to the quarterfinals of the badminton's singles event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.