I’m much stronger than before, reveals PV Sindhu

Since PV Sindhu suffered heartbreak against Akane Yamaguchi at last year’s BWF World Superseries final in Dubai, she managed to reach a total of five more tournaments only to end up on the losing side. Sindhu’s troubles in finals have also raised doubts about her ability to handle pressure in crunch situations and the 23-year old  will have another opportunity on Sunday to prove her doubters wrong. The Indian shuttler will face-off against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, who beat Sindhu in the 2017 world championship final, in Guangzhou on Sunday.

Sindhu showed grit and determination against Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon who she beat by a scoreline of 21-16, 25-23 in the semifinal of the ongoing BWF World Tour Finals. Sindhu credited her win to the improved mental strength even though she made simple errors in the first game.

“Couple of times when I was leading and she came back, I would be nervous before. But now I am comparatively much more stronger at it. Just focus on the next point. I tend to keep thinking and lose 2-3 points,” Sindhu said ahead of tonight’s game.

The 23-year-old displayed improved mental strength and patience will be key in the final against Okuhara. World number six, Sindhu, has had a particularly good tournament in Guangzhou so far as she already defeated Akane Yamaguchi, world number one Tai Tzu Ying, America’s Beiwen Zhang and also Intanon. 

“It’s going to be a long match and not going to be easy because we know each other’s game. Over there, we need a strategy and play accordingly.

“I was thinking what’s going on. But I was patient and kept going. Even though it was mid-court, I was playing high toss or a drop or making a simple mistake. So I thought why not hit and see what will happen next. I was successful. It was a good finish overall,” Sindhu added.