"It was great to play with Taufiq Hidayat; winning was just an added bonus" - Prannoy HS Interview

Prannoy HS

Prannoy Haseena Sunilkumar is one of the fastest movers on the badminton court. He won Silver at the Youth Olympics in 2010. He recently defeated former World no. 1 Taufik Hidayat at the Indian Open and is looking forward to do well in the upcoming Indian Badminton League.

He was recently in conversation with Sportskeeda. Here are the excerpts:

There has been a sudden surge of quality badminton players, both men and women, in India. What has the administration done right according to you?

I don’t think that the administration has done anything right. It’s the players and the coaches who are doing a great job. The hard work is pretty evident in the recent results in all the Super Series and Grand Prix tournaments.

Who do you consider to be your main competition in the domestic circuit?

Well, there are 7 to 8 players who are in the same category. I, Kashyap, Ajay, Anand, Sai, Srikanth, Guru and few more give each other a tough time. We have the same kind of game and it all depends on who plays better on that particular day.

Are you happy with how the year has gone for you so far?

Yes I am happy with how the year has passed so far. I have played some good matches and beaten some good players. I qualified for the Indian Open and beat Taufik Hidayat. Also I beat Anand and Ajay who are in great form lately. I did well in Singapore as I reached quarters and Indonesia open too. However I am looking forward to convert the close matches I play into wins.

Where do you expect to be in the world rankings by the year end?

If I keep playing good tournaments and do well in 2 or 3 tournaments, I should be able to reach in top 35. I am 54 in the World currently. I am just hoping to recover fully from a back problem. I have had it for years but its got lot better now. I have been doing a lot of exercises and rehab and in a month I should be 100 percent fit.

The women are doing much better than the men. Any reason?

Well I think it’s unfair to say that as apart from Saina and Sindhu, I don’t think others are doing better. In fact if you see the recent results, it’s the men section which is doing well. In men’s singles, there are at least 10 people competing. Women haven’t been able to do well even in doubles and mixed doubles despite being good. However Saina and Sindhu have been phenomenal.

You defeated Taufiq Hidayat at the Indian Open. What was it like to beat a former World No. 1?

It was amazing. It was just great to play with him and winning was just an added bonus. If you see his career record, you will know what a great player he is. It was one of his last matches and he wasn’t quite in the best form. Every badminton player of my age has grown up watching him. I used to see his videos to play better.

Do you think IBL will be a success?

It all depends on how well they organize it. It is expected to be the biggest league in badminton ever. All the top players and coaches will be participating and coming over. It will be a great experience for all the Indian badminton players since they will get to play with and against the best in the world from every country. They will share everything and will get to learn a lot from coaches of China, Indonesia etc.

What is your training schedule like?

We have three training sessions in a day. One is in the morning then afternoon and evening. We have an off court session after our evening training which includes gym and fitness.

You won Silver at the Youth Olympics few years back. Do you aim for an Olympic medal in future?

Every player aims for it. It’s my dream to have it in my hand one day. However one has to struggle a lot and also luck plays an important role. Olympics come every four years and if you practice for 3 years and then get an injury just before it, that would be bad.

What are the upcoming tournaments lined up for you?

I will be participating in an All India tournament in Pune and then will be busy with IBL.

Gopichand Academy seems to produce quite a few successful badminton players at the world arena. Why is that?

I think it’s because of the excellent facilities provided there. Also not just that, the coaching is up to date with the international standards. Gopi sir travels with us in all the tournaments and see all our matches. He would then tell us our mistakes and help us rectify them. He also sees where other players are better than us and then trains us accordingly. With the intense competition that exists in badminton, we train intensely too. He also keeps us motivated which encourages us to keep improving and win.

What is your strength in your game?

I previously had an attacking game but now I play an all round game. Since we play whole year round, endurance training is important. I have been doing it a lot and it has helped me play well in all the lengthy matches, which have been quite a few.