In my opinion, PV Sindhu will win gold medal in Tokyo Olympics, says Rudy Hartono

In my opinion, PV Sindhu will win gold medal in Tokyo Olympics, says Rudy Hartono

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Badminton great, Rudy Hartono, backed PV Sindhu to triumph with a gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games provided she works on her technique in the next two years. Hartono added that India depends on a selective group of players for medals which can harm the future of the sport in the country.

India’s PV Sindhu came into the spotlight after she impressed in the Rio 2016 Olympics. Ever since the marvellous outing in Brazil, Sindhu has gone from strength to strength and was also ranked at number one in ATP rankings a while ago. However, at times the Indian shuttler has failed to live up to expectations and has carved up a bad rapport of losing finals.

Badminton legend, Rudy Hartono, revealed that the Indian shuttler has to focus on certain aspects of her game that make her predictable. The 69-year old backed Sindhu to go all the way in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and win gold.

“Sindhu attacks too much. When you do the same thing over and over again, your opponent will start reading your game. As a coach, I would like my players to tell the truth about what went wrong in a match and overcome that situation. These things (losing big matches) happen. I myself have experienced it. If you have the desire, you can overcome it.

“Sindhu is only 23. In my opinion, she will win (a gold) in Tokyo. In another two years, she will be in her prime. She should forget the past and move on. I would like the Indian players to prioritise and prepare for the big tournaments like All England, World Championships and the Olympics. Those are the events that really matter,” Hartono told TOI reporters.

The Indonesian legend was in the small town of Thiruthangal in Virudhunagar district as was roped in as mentor of the Hatsun Badminton Centre, a state-of-the-art academy that was launched last year for budding shuttlers from all over the country. Hartono said that India depends a lot on certain players for medals, which is not good for the future of the sport.

“India depends a lot on a couple of players. They carry so much burden when they go into tournaments. Why not have a few more players? China has a world class player in every category. The population here is huge like China and India is capable of producing more players at the highest level,” said Hartono.

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