PV Sindhu smashes her way back into the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings

PV Sindhu had a decidedly unlucky start to 2023, but the string of bad performances and first-round losses has seemingly reached its end. After two consecutive semi-final finishes at the Arctic Open and Denmark Open, the Indian is back in the top ten of the BWF World Rankings.

After winning her first Commonwealth Games individual gold medal in 2022, PV Sindhu took a few months away from the game due to a foot injury. The two-time Olympic medalist made a comeback to competitive badminton in January 2023.

However, things didn't look easy on court for the Hyderabadi. She struggled to keep pace with her former foes and showed no hint of her famed attack.

Most disappointing of all perhaps, was the manner in which she conceded defeat. With hunched shoulders and little fight in her body language, Sindhu who is known for her marathon matches, could barely put on a show lasting 40 minutes.

All of this showed itself in the rankings in late March when the 28-year old dropped out of BWF top 10 for the first time in six years.

Over six months after that initial blow, a lot has changed in PV Sindhu's game. The Indian switched coaches from South Korean Park Tae Sang and joined forces with Malaysia's Hafiz Hashim, and even had a training stint under Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone.

While there were some raised eyebrows when she made the choice, Sindhu certainly seems to be reaping the rewards of her decision. The ex-World Champion has now been in back-to-back semifinals at a Super 500 and Super 750 tournament.

Sindhu has dealt with multiple difficult opponents in her past two tournaments and is slowly but surely making a comeback to her screaming and smashing ways.

PV Sindhu at the BWF French Open

PV Sindhu is currently in action at the French Open. The Indian has made a strong start in Rennes, taking down 7th seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the first round. She will be facing Thailand's Supanida Katethong next, whom she recently beat at the Denmark Open.

As of now, Ratchanok Intanon sits above Sindhu in the number nine spot of the BWF World Rankings. Given that Intanon is out of action at the moment due to an injury, the Indian looks likely to take over the Thai player's spot soon enough.