PV Sindhu's favourite weapons against stress - a paintbrush and a pencil
Racquet, indoor court shoes, spare shuttles, snacks, water – the relatively small gym bag badminton players travel with can pack a lot of items.
PV Sindhu makes sure hers can also fit a sketchbook.
The Indian badminton ace re-discovered her childhood love for drawing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, it has become both a passion as well as a means to unwind during the high-pressure Olympic cycle.
“Initially I used to do it on canvas, but now I can't travel with the canvas much. I used to paint back at home, but now I just sketch,” Sindhu told Olympics.com during the Madrid stop of the BWF World Tour to which she also came equipped with a blank drawing surface.
“It's a small book,” she explained. “I do have it here, in the [hotel] room.”
PV Sindhu’s masterful strokes: From acrylics on canvas to pencil sketches
The Covid pandemic was the longest period that double Olympic medallist Sindhu has stayed at home since becoming a professional badminton player.
Looking to liven up this unfamiliar scenario, the athlete - who is often the subject of fan art - decided to pick up a painting brush herself.
Sindhu liked drawing when she was in school and thought it would be fun to tap into this creative outlet once more. This time, however, she decided to challenge herself by painting in acrylics on a canvas rather than drawing in her diary.
The subject can be anything that strikes Sindhu’s fancy. Her Covid-time paintings featured a mix of themes, including nature, city landscapes and silhouettes of dancers.
Since the pandemic restrictions were lifted, however, Sindhu once again usually opts for a more travel-friendly sketchbook instead of the bulky canvas.
“I used to paint on canvas with acrylic, but now it's just sketching with a pencil,” the current world No.12 said. “I did some random stuff on the canvas at times or on plain paper in the books.”
These sketches are proving a great stress-reliver for the athlete, who is trying to qualify for her third Olympic Games after taking silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“Sometimes I do it to just let my mind go, just relax. I do it for that at times,” Sindhu said.
“We're too busy training and there's no time because we're travelling,” she continued. “I really love travelling, so it's good that I come for tournaments, but we don't get to go out and sightsee. It's more of badminton and back to room, so when I get some time off, I listen to music and sketch a bit.”
While some of Sindhu’s paintings were even displayed at the Suchitra Academy in her hometown Hyderabad in summer 2020, the badminton star is modest about her artistic skills.
“Do not expect more!” she said. “It's not really good, but yes, I can manage.”
Getting into a zen mindset: PV Sindhu’s strategies for calming the mind
Aside from sketching, Sindhu also relieves stress by playing with her dog and spending time with her nephew Aaryan.
Taking space from sport is a matter that the 28-year-old, who has spoken out about the importance of mental strength, takes seriously.
“The pressure is going to be there. Mentally, physically, it's always going to be there, and you have to keep fighting that,” Sindhu said. “Basically, you need to be aware of the situation because if you don't know what is happening, then it's going to go wrong and you are like a blank. You don't know what to do. But if you know that something is wrong or it's not working out, then you try to do different things like take some time off, be yourself, maybe take two, three days off or just sit calm, meditate at times. There are a lot of things to keep yourself calm and keep moving.”
Meditation is an important part of Sindhu’s effort to remain relaxed as the qualification deadline for Paris 2024 approaches.
While her hectic schedule does not allow the athlete to set aside specific times to meditate, Sindhu tries to dedicate at least a few minutes each day to these calm moments, just as she does to drawing.
“Sometimes there won't be time, so I make time in the morning or evening. It depends. Whenever I have time, I do it. It's not like 10 minutes or five minutes, nothing like that,” she said. “But even though there's no time, even if it's for five, 10 minutes, I make sure I do it.”