Podium finish at All England is my biggest goal : Ajay Jayaram
Indian badminton player Ajay Jayaram said on Saturday that the six-month injury layoff made him stronger as a player and he is fully focussed on achieving a podium finish at the All England Championships in March.
Jayaram reached his maiden Super Series final at the Korea Open and then went on to win the Dutch Open after a six-month injury layoff.
“I am mentally tougher, I guess I have faced a lot of challenges. After the injury in 2014 when I was out for six months, getting back in action was difficult initially. But it made me realise that life is going to throw bigger challenges and the best way to go about is to keep fighting,” he said, reported PTI.
The 28-year old also said that he is looking forward to the All England Championships in March and will focus on achieving a podium finish there, which has been his biggest goal.
“I am really looking forward to the All England in March. If I get a streak like the one I got in Korea Open I can actually end up with a podium finish. It has been a long time dream and the biggest goal,” he added.
After coming agonisingly close to the qualification mark for the 2012 Olympics, Jayaram missed out on the spot after Parupalli Kashyap jumped ahead in the rankings in the last moment. This time around, the World No.21 said he is focussing on every tournament at the moment to qualify for Rio Olympics.
“I am trying to focus on every tournament and not thinking too much just about Rio. Yes, it is difficult to keep it completely out of mind but taking one tournament at a time and getting better and consistent results is the right way to look at it. The best part is this time I have better results behind me and that is a big factor.
“In the next few months, I have to make the right balance in the number of tournaments and finding time to train,” he said, reported PTI.
When asked about how his game has evolved through the years, Jayaram said, “In my head I am very much there. The main thing is playing that level consistently which I have struggled I have to keep fighting and hopefully stabilise this year.”