'I have three more tournaments to prove myself,' says Kidambi Srikanth
The Indian shuttler is feeling better physically and is confident of sealing a berth for Tokyo 2020
After a rough start to the year, Indian badminton star Kidambi Srikanth is now focused on doing well at the Olympic qualifying events and seal his berth for the Tokyo Games.
The former World No 1 is currently placed at No 20 in the Race to Tokyo and is likely to play three more events, starting with the Indian Open, to confirm his spot.
“Initially there were many events now just three Olympic qualifiers and I just hope that these three tournaments happen,” Srikanth, a quarterfinalist at the Rio Games, told the Press Trust of India during an interview.
“I probably have to play a semifinal or a couple of quarterfinals. I’m actually feeling very good about my physical condition at the moment, so it is about going there and giving my best.”
The Indian Open will be held behind closed doors in New Delhi from May 11 to 16. The BWF has announced that the Singapore Open, from June 1-6, will be the last qualifying event for Tokyo 2020.
The Olympic year didn’t quite begin well for the 28-year-old. He was left with a bloodied nose due to multiple Covid-19 tests during the Yonex Thailand Open, the first tournament he participated after almost a year. During the next event, the Toyota Thailand Open, Srikanth was forced to withdraw after his roommate B Sai Praneeth tested positive for the virus.
“Things are not as smooth as they were before, this bio bubble and everything are little complicated to deal with and then with false positives happening, it becomes even more tricky,” Srikanth said.
The Indian had a disappointing run at the World Tour Finals 2020, losing all his three group stage matches.
“I played three close games in the World Tour Finals. I think probably one win against a top player will give me that confidence. So I have three more tournaments to prove myself,” he said.
“I feel we have lost the freedom to train according to our timings. It’s been robbed. In the pre-COVID days, I could go to the gym when I wanted but now I have to go when I am provided a time. You cannot prepare the way we did before. But you can’t think too much about these things because you can only do what you have in your hand.”
Despite the disruptions, he has managed to get some decent results. Srikanth made it to the semi-finals of the Swiss Open, before going down to World No 1 Viktor Axelsen, and reached the quarterfinals of the Orleans Masters in March.
“The lockdown helped me to work on myself and I am feeling much better now physically. For me, it is about doing well in the three events. If I play in the three events I will be in the Olympics. It is not a very big ask,” he added.