“I personally enjoy being the underdog” - Chirag Shetty eyes winning medals over world rankings

Chirag Shetty has stated that he prefers winning titles over climbing high in the world rankings if he had to pick between the two.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag reached a career-high ranking of World No. 2 in July this year. They are currently ranked third in the world and head into the 2023 Asian Games as one of the strongest medal contenders.

Asked if their ranking would weigh heavily on their shoulders, Chirag said that they aren't paying any attention to where they stand in the pecking order. If given a choice, the Mumbai lad opined that he prefers being the underdog at events.

“I personally enjoy being the underdog. I think that approach is a lot better. We don’t really go behind the numbers. It obviously feels good being ranked No. 2 in the world but that feeling wouldn’t change if we are World No. 1,” he said in a press interaction.

“We would prefer winning tournaments than chasing world ranking. And I would be happy winning medals at the big events than being ranked No. 1 in the world,” he added.

Chirag further said that while his current goal is to do well at the Asian Games starting September 23 in Hangzhou, his ultimate goal remains the Olympics.

“The future target obviously is to do well at the Asian Games that is a week from now and the ultimate goal is to perform well at the Olympics,” he opined.

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Chirag Shetty: “If we play and have fun on the court, then eventually the results will be in our favor"

While Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have won four titles (Swiss Open, Asian Championships, Indonesia Open, and Korea Open) this year, their performances in the past few weeks haven't lived up to their lofty standards. They reached the quarterfinals at the Japan Open and the World Championships. Most recently, they made an opening-round exit at the China Open.

Asked if their recent results will play on their minds heading into the 2023 Asian Games, Chirag recalled how they bounced back from three sub-par performances (Spain Masters, Thailand Open, and Singapore Open) by clinching the title at the Indonesia Open.

“The last tournament wasn’t the best. But we had a couple of early exits right before the Indonesia Open, like at the Singapore Open. Eventually we on to win the Indonesia Open,” he explained.

Of the top 20 men's doubles pairs in the world, only three are not from Asian nations. Chirag explained that at big tournaments, like the upcoming Asian Games, every round pits them against challenging opponents. The 26-year-old is confident that if he and Satwiksairaj can perform at their best, the results and accolades will eventually follow.

“Every match that you play at that level, even if it’s in the first round, we are playing against some of the best players in the world. And it’s a very open field in the men’s doubles,” he said.

“You have to take one match at a time and I feel if we can play anywhere close to our best, I think we will be able to go further into the tournament. We don’t really want to put too much pressure on ourselves. If we play and have fun on the court, then eventually the results will be in our favor,” he added.

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Chirag Shetty was speaking at an event where the trophy for the PNB-Metlife Junior Badminton Championship was unveiled.