It was not business as usual for P.V. Sindhu last week. After the Badminton World Federation cancelled the India Open, Malaysia and Singapore Open tournaments due to the Covid pandemic, Sindhu was given a week off by her South Korean coach, Park Tae Sang. The 41-year-old 2002 Asian Games champion has been coaching Sindhu after another Korean, Kim Ji Hyun, suddenly quit her job with Indian badminton in September 2019. Kim was coach when Sindhu won the World Championship in Basel, Switzerland, on August 25, 2019. Sindhu is the only Indian who has qualified for the women바카라™s singles event at the Tokyo Olympics in July-August. She had won Silver in Rio 2016, losing the final to Carolina Marin of Spain. Sindhu, who will turn 26 on July 5, is currently ranked seventh in the world. Excerpts from an interview with Soumitra Bose:
How difficult has it been to focus on preparing for the Olympics as the pandemic is wreaking havoc with the international calendar?
We can바카라™t do anything when tournaments are cancelled. It has impacted all players across the world and the situation is really scary. I don바카라™t think cancellation of events would affect training. Unlike 2015-16, we have had long breaks in 2020-21 due to the pandemic. Leading up to the Rio Games, I had played about 22 tournaments. The situation was different. I had to qualify for the 2016 Olympics since I was out for six months with a stress fracture. I finished 13th in the world rankings and qualified for the Summer Games (the top 16 makes it). Since January 2020 and March 2021, I have played just eight tournaments. But it is okay. This situation is beyond one바카라™s control.
Will you be disappointed if the Olympics were to be cancelled?
We have been waiting for the Games to happen. Last year, it was cancelled with two months to go. An Olympics comes once in four years. We are all preparing hard for Tokyo. It will be sad if the Games are cancelled but one has to look at the safety of players and all the stakeholders. India is in bad shape and one hopes things will get better. Japan also has to look at the safety and security of its citizens. For me, life comes first. If there is no life, there is no sport. The risk factor is currently too huge.
Has the postponement of the Games helped you prepare better? You haven바카라™t won anything in eight tournaments in 2020-21.
I was 100 per cent prepared for the Olympics in 2020. Yes, 2020-21 has been pretty mixed. But it doesn바카라™t bother me. Thailand Open in January didn바카라™t go well (lost in the first round), Swiss (in March) was much better becÂause I played the final and unfortunately, I lost in the semis at All-England. Overall, game-wise and skill-wise, I think I have impÂroved, rectified a few errÂors and am in a happy space with my coach.
Have you identified your main rivals in Tokyo?
Look, there is not much difference among the top 10 players. I would reckon Tai Tzu, Carolina Marin, Nozomi Okuhara and Ratchanok Intanon will be the players to beat. All players come with strong strategies and are smart at mind games. Carolina, for example, is mentally very strong. She is extremely aggressive and shouts a lot. It can be quite annoying. Ratchanok takes a break to put you off rhythm. These players have a 바카라˜win-at-all-cost바카라™ mindset. It바카라™s not that I don바카라™t play mind games, but my dad says I am too nice on court. At the end of the day, I have to stay calm and win the point.
You have had three coaches since you won Silver at Rio. Has it been one too many?
Two coaches바카라”Mulyo Handyo and Kim바카라”left at crucial junctures. They had their personal reasons for leaving Indian badminton but that바카라™s something we have to take in stride as players. Mulyo (the Indonesian had coached the legendary Taufik Hidayat to the Athens Olympics Gold in 2004) made a great impÂact on me and several other players like H.S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth. I owe a lot to Mulyo for the 2018 World Championship silver. Mulyo was a very good coach.
Was Kim바카라™s sudden departure a setback?
She was my coach when I won the World Championship in 2019 at Basel. Kim was a very intÂense person, very supportive. At almost every point she would have something to say. She was different from Mulyo.
Kim said you were an 바카라˜unsmart바카라™ shuttler바카라¦.
It came as a surprise becÂause Kim never said anything when we were together. If Kim had said this to my face, I would have accepted it, but making a comment after leaving India was probably not right. I still believe there was a translation error because she spoke in Korean. Kim was very appreciative of my performance during the World Campionship in Switzerland. Kim would be at the edge of the chair at every point, especially in the quarterfinal versus Tai Tzu-ying and also in the final. Â
How is your equation with current coach Park?
The player-coach bonding has worked very well with Park. He can read your mind very well during a match. When I am under pressure or in a difficult posÂition, Park lets me think for myself. He knows when to intervene and his analytical reading of opponents is excellent. I think he has been a great fit after Kim quit. I appreciate the attention Park gives me.
Where would you place Gopichand among your coaches?
Gopi Sir was my coach in 2016 and it was good. All my coaches have been unique. They thought differently and I compare everybody at the same level. They were all good for my mental devÂelopment as a player. Now that Park is my coach for over a year, I don바카라™t miss Gopi Sir or anybody else. It will be great to have Park at the courtside in Tokyo. Â
Will it be wrong to say that Gopichand is your real badminton guru?
Look, Gopi Sir has been part of my journey, but not the only one. Many people have helped me achieve whatever I have so far. And it starts with my father, who took me to the Railways grounds to play with the players there. When I started, my first coach was Mehboob Ali. Then there was Arif Sir at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. There are so many people to thank. Yes, Gopi Sir helped me train and grow, but there were coaches under him as well. I want to live in the present and it will be unfair to single out one person. I will say I am everybody바카라™s daughter.
Your father (Ramana, an ex-volleyball international) has played a big role in your career.
I think he is the 바카라˜third바카라™ eye in my playing career. He is full of advice and never stops giving tips. Sometimes it is better to have someone who keenly observes your game from outside.
You are the highest paid women athlete in India, with a brand value worth of $21.6 million. Have you felt the pressure of living up to your image?
When I started playing, my parents never expected me to become world champion or an Olympic medallist one day. They never thought that I will be in a position like this. As far as endorsements are concerned, I have never felt that they were very demanding.
Are you under pressure to win in Tokyo?
There will be huge expectations. Whatever it is, I have to go there and give my best. I have to play well for myself and win for India. Â
