P V Sindhu: A worthy successor to Saina

Sindhu was a prodigy since her early days in badminton, and her dedication and interest only increased with time. She started playing badminton at the tender age of eight. From winning the U-10 national championship to getting into the national team for the Uber cup at 15 to winning the Macau Open three times in a row this year, Sindhu has gone through a complete make-over – as far as possible fromwhat regular 20-year-old girls go through.

Her punctuality stood-out and that impressed Gopi the most. “The fact that she reports on time at the coaching camps daily, travelling a distance of 56 km from her residence, is perhaps a reflection of her willingness to complete her desire to be a good badminton player with the required hard work and commitment” said Gopichand to The Hindu.

She tasted international success for the first time in 2011as a 15-year old at the Indonesia International where she defeated Fransisca Ratnasari in the final. In 2013, she won her first Grand Prix title at the Malaysian Open after defeating Juan Gu of Singapore in the finals. In March of that year, she broke into the Top-0 for the first time in her career. On Mach 8th, she was ranked ninth in the world.

She then followed it up with the coveted bronze medal at the World Championships held in Guangzhou – two years before Saina managed one. She defeated Wang Shixian of China in the quarter-final in three grueling sets. The maturity in her game was evident, as she came back from a set down to defeat the Chinese. She won her second title of the season late in the year, after defeating Michelle Li of Canada in the finals of the Macau Open.  

Early on in 2015, the two-time World Championships bronze medalist fell short in the first few tournaments. She lost in the semis at the Malaysia Masters, and at the Syed Modi Grand Prix. She seemed to building a good foundation for the upcoming season, but then her fortunes took a nosedive. She was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the left foot and was forced to opt out of the All-England Championship. The only consolation in this period was the Padma Shri she received in March.

After the lay-off, Sindhu struggled as she crashed out in the initial stages even in second tier tournaments. When asked how hard it was to make a comeback after an injury, she said, “Injuries are bound to happen. It’s part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life. I missed two big events – All England Championships and India Open. You just have to take good care of your body and hope for the best” to Sportskeeda.

A few chinks exist here and there; consistency has been a major problem. But working with her idol at the Gachibowli Stadium, it won’t be that hard for Sindhu to become better. “Breaking into the top-10 is never easy, but staying there is very tough. You have to be really consistent to sustain yourself in the top-10. As for me, I will like to give myself three-four years and within that period I hope to become world number one” she said.

With an already impressive repertoire of titles for a 20-year old, she seems set to conquer the world of badminton. The Hyderabad girl is still a work in progress, and a lot more of her is yet to be witnessed. And once she irons out the small glitches in her impressive game, she seems set to carry the baton which Saina shall inevitably leave behind in a few years.