Sindhu must learn that it's okay to lose sometimes, says coach Gopichand

"I think badminton has become very challenging with lots of different nations participating and lots of young, exciting players dominating the scene with different styles of play. If we want to do consistently well, we need to keep evolving and keep adjusting to different styles,” badminton ace Pullela Gopichand told TOI on Wednesday.

"She is a very emotional person so she needs to kind of lose a few times to get accustomed to the fact that it's ok to lose sometimes. She is 21 and she has achieved a lot," he added.

"A bunch of players just over 20 are vying for top honours. They include Tai Tzu Ying, Carolina Marin and Nozomi Okuhara. A couple of Chinese players too are evolving very well, so I guess the challenge is huge," he said.

Speaking about his former student Saina Nehwal, who made her return at the Hong Kong Open in November after suffering from a chronic knee injury, Gopichand hoped that she would be back to her best by next year.

"I think the fact that she played back-to-back tournaments showed she has recovered very well. Of course, the fitness element and movement on court will take some time, but, it's only a matter of time before she gets back to her best," he added.

Speaking about the progress by the Indian male badminton players, the 2001 All England Open winner said, "Many of them had played a lot of tournaments trying to qualify for the Olympics. That actually made dents in their fitness, but I am happy that we did have a quarter-finals result at the Olympics which was important.