Sindhu aware of Paris Olympics challenge, says she needs to be smarter

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu is set to return to action after an injury-forced break. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the two-time Olympic medallist says she is aware that the journey will be 'challenging' and that she needs to be 'smarter' if she is to win the gold medal this time around.

Sindhu faced an injury setback, which led to her decline in form over the last 18 months. It took a toll on her performance, as she has been going through a lean patch.

The former world champion sustained a stress fracture on her left ankle during her 2022 Commonwealth Games campaign. To make matters worse, she was hit with another injury blow during the French Open last year in October that pushed her away from the court for three months.

“I would say, this Olympics is going to be a different experience because the 2016 and 2020 Olympics were very different. Paris will be more challenging but at the same time, I have much more experience and I will have to be much smarter this time,” Sindhu was quoted as saying by the PTI.

Attending the Great Place To Work’s FOR ALL summit in Mumbai on Thursday, the 28-year-old stated,

“In women’s circuit, players in the top 10-15 are tough. It is important to be focused and have a strategy so that you can switch to plan B if plan A doesn’t work. It is important to stay calm as sometimes you can go blank. It is important to have a strong mindset.”

Sindhu aims to spark a comeback with a new setup

In an attempt to find her rhythm back, Sindhu ended her stint with Korean coach Park Tae-sang early last year. The Hyderabad-born then went on to train under the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) Vidhi Chaudhary, followed by Malaysia's Hafiz Hashim. However, she did not find immediate success.

Prakash Padukone, former All England Champion, then extended his support. Sindhu then moved to Bangalore and is currently undergoing training under Indonesia's Agus Santoso at the famed Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) under the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence.

Sindhu will next be seen at the Badminton Asia Team championships in Malaysia from February 13 to 18.

“I have a new trainer, physio, nutritionist, coach, and mentor, so everything is very new, and I am happy how they have been supporting me and are helping me from where I am and where I should be in the next couple of months,” she said.

Further, Sindhu expressed her fortune to work with Prakash, stating that his training methods are helping her. Sindhu hopes for positive results moving forward. She is back to complete fitness and has her eyes set on the Asia team championships.

The former world champion acknowledged the fact that she will know where she stands only when she starts playing tournaments. Currently ranked World No. 11, she went on to talk about her preparations.

“We have been talking and discussing against all the top 10-15 players in the women’s circuit. I think right now Aya Ohori, An Se Young, (Akane) Yamaguchi, and Carolina (Marin) are doing well," Sindhu said.

So it is not just one or two players, we need to know how every player is playing and we have been discussing them but it is important to focus on our own skills and technical aspects and also physical aspect," she concluded.