Indian shuttle queen PV Sindhu’s inexorable rise in the past few months has seen her reach a new career-high ranking of sixth and it is definitely just a matter of time before she ascends to the pinnacle of the sport. Even badminton legend Prakash Padukone believes so.
In a recent interview to ESPN, the former World No. 1 has expressed confidence that the 21-year-old is very much capable of reaching the peak after a stunning season in which she clinched the Rio Olympic silver medal and won the China Open.
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“It is definitely possible, she is definitely capable of reaching number one,” Padukone said at an event in Bangalore.
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Right planning is needed: Padukone
The 61-year-old also recommended planning a calendar with the right amount of gap in between tournaments so that the Pullela Gopichand protégé can reign at the top tier for another five-six years.
“If they plan their calendar well between training and competition and give enough rest between tournaments, that would be the right way according to me. I am sure they know best. She has the potential, she has at least five-six years of good badminton in her.”
Consistency is one of the biggest requisites for any player to scale the summit and for Sindhu, too, it is no exception.
“It is now just a question of being consistent, it is just a matter of time before she reaches the number one position,” he said.
The former All England Championships winner credited the break from tournament play right before the mega quadrennial Games that helped Sindhu to peak at the right time. After losing in the first round of the Australian Open in early June, the two-time World Championships bronze medallist played her next competitive match at Rio itself in the second week of August.
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That hiatus was most essential in building herself up both physically and mentally for the Olympics. In the six weeks of uninterrupted time that she got for preparation, she was able to focus on both her fitness and court play, the legend explained.
He also opined that Sindhu’s sparse success in the first half of the season where she won just the Malaysia Masters, also took away the pressure of expectations from her.
“For any player when you get a six-week window and if you have no injuries, then you can really push yourself,” he said. “For the first three-four weeks, you can focus on physical fitness and as you get closer to the event, you shift to on-court work.
“That generally doesn’t happen over the year. Also, there was no pressure on her going into the Olympics because just before that she hadn't done so well in the year.”
‘Sindhu more sure of herself now’
An Olympic medal can do wonders for any athlete in terms of level of confidence. The dazzling Rio performance certainly bolstered Sindhu’s self-belief which was evident during the Asian swing where she triumphed at the China Open and reached the final of the Hong Kong Open and the semi-finals of the World Superseries Finals.
“That one performance in Rio has also given her a lot of confidence now, which is visible when one has seen her in tournaments in China, Hong Kong and the Dubai Superseries Finals. She looks a lot more sure of herself,” Padukone pointed out.
