2024 Paris Olympics Badminton: Who stands between HS Prannoy and the podium? Analyzing the Indian’s possible knockout stage opponents

HS Prannoy is assured of an easy beginning at the Paris Olympics ahead of his debut at the Games. The Indian will have to navigate trickier terrain as he moves into knockout stages, with the way to a medal finish lined with fatal threats.

Prannay is placed in Group K with Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat and Germany's Fabian Roth. Both players are ranked below the Indian and it looks unlikely they'll pose a challenge for him.

After the group-stage matches are done, HS Prannoy will most probably face Jonathan Christie. The Indonesian will have a slightly hard time getting to the round of 16, given that his group is populated with Lakshya Sen, Kevin Cordon, and Julien Carraggi. However, he remains a favorite to top Group L.

Prannoy trails Christie 3-6 in their head-to-head record, but he's never let Indonesian go without a tough fight. If he bests Christie, the World Championships and Asian Games bronze medalist will next face either Chou Tien Chen or Kodai Naraoka.

While Prannoy’s head-to-head record with Chou Tien Chen is nearly equal, he has only managed to beat Naraoka once in seven meetings. Were Prannoy to make it to the semifinals, he could face the reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axleson.

The top half of the draw is equally populated, and we're Prannoy to enter the Paris Olympics finals, he could be up against World No.1 Shi Yu Qui, 2023 World Champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, World Championships silver-medalist Anders Antonsen, All England Champion Lee Zee Jia, or Tokyo Olympics bronze-medalist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.

HS Prannoy faces health issues ahead of the Paris Olympics

In a story he has lived through before, HS Prannoy was dealt yet another health issue as he prepared to make his debut on the sport's biggest stage. After a stunning 2023, the Indian struggled to find a similar form this year, dealing with nausea that was a result of a malfunctioning muscle that lines the esophagus.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times about the mental fallout of his health issues ahead of the Paris Olympics, Prannoy said:

“It is tough when there is an issue which is troubling you physically during tournaments. It affects you mentally as well. You tend to go into a shell thinking why it is happening, especially when doctors are not able to find out the reason at first.

“You are not in a state of mind to enjoy the game, always trying to figure out what is happening to you from a physical perspective. That’s what happened in the first four months of the year and it took some while to come out of it,” he added.

However, the Indian is back on the recovery track just in time for the Paris Olympics. He's looking to make a splash in his debut at the event, in a men's singles field that's as deep and open.