With no competitions ahead of Tokyo, PV Sindhu preparing by creating ‘match situations’ in training
PV Sindhu, who trains at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, has backed the BWF decision to call off major events due to a spike in COVID-19 cases
Tokyo-bound Indian badminton star PV Sindhu’s Korean coach Park Tae Sang is creating match situations in her training to make up for the lack of game time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has cancelled several competitions, including three Olympic qualifiers - the India Open, Malaysia Open and Singapore Open, due to the pandemic.
The three events not only gave players a chance to earn points and qualify for the Tokyo Games but also served as a preparatory ground for the ones who have already qualified.
World No. 7 Sindhu has backed BWF’s decision to cancel competitions to ensure the safety of the athletes and the organisers.
"It is sad that the whole world has come to a standstill but before sportspersons, we are human beings and life comes first. If tournaments happen, we don't know if we will be safe, because we don't know from where this virus will come,” Sindhu said in an interview with PTI.
In the run-up to the Olympics, PV Sindhu’s coach has modified her training sessions to ensure the reigning world champion is at the top of her game for the quadrennial event in July-August.
"Well, we were thinking that Singapore will be the last event before the Olympics but now we don't have another option, so I am playing matches against different players and my coach Park is trying to create match situations for me in training,” the 25-year-old PV Sindhu said.
"Different players have different styles like Tai Tzu (Ying) or Ratchanok (Intanon) have different styles of play but Park is there to guide me, to prepare me for it. Obviously, we will be playing each other after a few months and there will be something new in our games, so I will have to prepare for that."
Tai Tzu Ying is currently placed second in the Race to Tokyo badminton rankings while Ratchanok Intanon is sixth. The top 16 in women’s singles will make the cut for the Olympics.
PV Sindhu is seventh and is certain to seal a berth for the upcoming Olympics once the BWF confirms the qualification. B Sai Praneeth and the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also going to make it given their current rankings..
“I have been improving as a player. My coach has analysed my game, so I am really looking forward to the Olympics,” PV Sindhu said.
However, PV Sindhu does not train with the other Tokyo-bound Indian shuttlers at the Gopichand Badminton Academy. Sindhu trains at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Telangana and does her fitness training at Suchitra Academy.
PV Sindhu, the silver medallist at Rio 2016, last played at the All England Open in March where she lost to Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong in the semi-finals. This was before events were called off due to rising coronavirus infections.
In 2020-21, world champion Sindhu has played eight tournaments and reached only one final at the Swiss Open in March. She has even suffered a first-round loss at the Thailand Open in January.