PV Sindhu – do not expect too much too soon

After a rest period of almost two weeks, PV Sindhu is ready to start her journey again. This time she will be playing in the Japan Open Super Series 2013. She will be accompanied by Tanvi Lad in the women’s singles, who is ranked world No.77. Therefore, the prime onus lies on Sindhu’s shoulders.

P.V. Sindhu

This event is critical to Sindhu, as she needs to establish herself again. She did win a bronze in the World Championships, but did not have a good IBL. Consistency is going to be the key word for PV Sindhu. There is no doubt that she is rising quickly in the international badminton arena. Her talent, hard work, commitment and tremendous fighting spirit are par excellence.

Our worthy coach, Pulella Gopichand, fully believes in her skill. Gopichand has already stated that Sindhu’s commitment and dedication will go a long way in ensuring her success. PV Sindhu has responded well to his expectations by achieving a lot at this tender age. Apart from the World Championship bronze, she also won the Malaysia Open Gold Grand Prix this year.

In fact, as fans of Sindhu, we tend to expect more and more every time. It is not feasible for any player to always give the desired results. Perhaps, this became the major cause of her comprehensive defeats to Saina twice in the IBL. Everyone around the circuit knows that there is no dearth of talent in PV Sindhu. Then what went wrong in the IBL?

The answer is very simple. She faced extreme pressure while playing against the highly seeded and experienced Saina Nehwal. Sindhu is just 18 years of age, whereas Saina is 23. Saina has got much more exposure than Sindhu. Saina is currently holding a world ranking of 4^th, whereas Sindhu is world number 10.

Sindhu looks much better in terms of stamina and strength. Also, her height is an added advantage. But Sindhu still needs to learn how to cope up with the pressure and stress. Many believe that media always creates an unwarranted hype around Sindhu, and the forecasts actually prove to be a distraction for this teenager.

Even in this Japan Open super series, it is understood that her first two clashes will pose no threat for her. But there are chances that she may have to face the World number one Li Xuerui in the quarters. So, unless something dramatic happens, her journey might end in the quarter finals itself.

But what we should admire is her fighting spirit. Unlike many others who have chosen to skip this event for reasons of fatigue and tiredness, Sindhu opted to play. She is a born fighter. Such vital exposure will certainly enhance her learning process, which will prove very fruitful in the long run.

But one aspect that coach Gopichand must look into is that she needs to be trained how to face pressure after lagging behind by a few points. She has got to control her face expressions and body language, even if the opponent tends to be taking a clear lead. Also, Sindhu needs to particularly focus on the drop shots.

I am sure that once she is able to tackle the stress of the game, there will be no looking back. Till then, her participation is itself a symbol of her die hard spirit. We must not forget the fact that she is still 18 years of age, and will mature with time. So, do not expect too much too quickly!