Aditi Mutatkar forays into the world of coaching as center head of Pune’s Padukone Academy

After dominating the domestic badminton circuit for more than a decade at the start of the 21st century, Aditi Mutatkar has decided to foray into the world of coaching.

Aditi, a former multi-time national champion, will start her new journey as the center head of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Pune.

This is Aditi’s way of giving back to the game which has given her everything during her playing career. The 33-year-old, who won the silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, is quite excited and prepared for the new challenge in her life.

Padukone Sports Management has started their first ever coaching center in Pune for beginner and intermediate levels at The Poona Western Club in Bhugaon, Songbirds.

“It gives me immense pleasure to let you all know that I have joined as the senior coach and will head the center. We are ready and waiting to welcome anybody who loves the game and wants to learn from it. We have started our classes from Monday to Friday in the evening hours. I am looking forward to the new challenges ahead,” Aditi told Sportskeeda.

Aditi reached her career best world ranking of 27 during her peak period from 2008 to 2011.

I am really excited about the new challenge: Aditi

Although Aditi did not win any major world titles, she finished runner-up at the Bitburger Open in 2008 and the Syed Modi Indian Grand Prix in 2009. She trained under Prakash Padukone in Bengaluru.

“I am really excited about this opportunity and all the possibilities that exist within this center. It will not be an easy road, but I am hoping we should be able to build a place that we are all very proud to belong to. I am thankful for the faith shown by my coach and legend Prakash Padukone. I want to live up to his expectations,” said Aditi.

Former national champion Aditi Mutatkar at the new center in Pune

Aditi is only the third Indian woman to win five national championships in different age categories. After becoming sub-junior and junior national champion, Aditi clinched the coveted senior national crown in Rohtak, beating Arundhati Pantawane in an exciting final in 2011.

“I have decided to start a new career in coaching after a long thought. Pune has a badminton culture and the city has produced so many national and international shuttlers in the past. I will try to share my knowledge, skills and experiences with the kids and make them quality players. I know I will have to devote a lot of time for the new venture to get the desired results. I am prepared to work hard and try to produce some talented players from my center,” she said.

A contemporary of legendary Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, Aditi’s career was riddled with several injuries. Many experts believed that she could have achieved much more had she managed to prevent injuries during the crucial stages of her career.

Pune center will act as feeder service to the main Bengaluru academy: Aditi

She now wants to focus on coaching at Pune center and facilitate its role as a feeder service to the main Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru.

“The first coach is very important in a player’s career. I was lucky to get good coaches at the beginning of my career, which helped me learn the basics quite well. I will try to do the same with the beginners at my center. This center will act as a feeder service to the main center in Bengaluru. My efforts will be to lay a solid foundation for the beginners and intermediate levels so that they can join bigger academies in the future,” said Aditi.

Aditi, the second Indian woman to have played a Grand Prix final in 2008 after Saina Nehwal, is not thinking too far ahead at the start of her new career.

“I have a small coaching team with me and we are not trying to produce a world champion. If our players win district or state tournaments in the next few years, it will be a great achievement for us. Slowly, when we develop into a big center, we might have a bigger pool of coaches and think about advanced levels of coaching,” she said.

She added that the new center has three wooden courts and other basic facilities for beginner and intermediate levels of coaching.