Courtship that hopes to inspire Britain’s centennials

NEW DELHI: Chris Adcock runs to the television in the training room of Chennai Smashers team ahead of a Premier Badminton League match, takes the remote and increases the volume. On the screen he is seen talking about life with Gabby Adcock.

Gabby giggling on the other side, sighs as their team members watch the interview. “They were asking me what is the disadvantage of being with Chris. I told, he is very clumsy,” Gabby points to the screen and bursts into laughter.

With not many people asking about Bowser, Gabby gets all excited when she hears the name. Chris takes his phone and shows  pictures of their dog. “Bowser is seven. He is our baby. It’s so nice when after a tough day’s training, when you want to switch off from badminton, we take him for walk. He is really good to have around. I miss him a lot.”

For the Adcocks, the journey that started on court has continued off it. Following their marriage in September 2013, the doubles pair went on to win Hong Kong Open. In 2014, they bagged gold for England at the Commonwealth Games and silver in the mixed team event. Their career highlight came in December 2015 when they clinched the season finale.

But this year has been one for their family album. With a European championship title in April and  a bronze at the Worlds in August, the World No 5 pair is high on confidence. In 2016, their coach Peter Jeffrey in an interview with The Telegraph described them as a dynamic pair.  Agreeing to that, Chris says: “It’s not easy to keep the rhythm when you are playing doubles, be it any sport.

Definitely that comes with playing a lot of matches. We started playing when we were 15 and because we have played together for a lot of time, the chemistry on the court comes naturally. We have a similar style of playing — fast and attacking. When we know what we want from each other, it makes the game easy.”

With badminton tournaments being conducted all round the clock in a year, spending time with family is something that top players miss. Not for the Adcocks though. “A lot of players miss out on that part when they reach the top level. We are fortunate that we are able to travel together,” Gabby smiles. “In mixed doubles, it’s imperative that our interests align. We know we have to work hard with the same mindset. Spending time and understanding each other has played a big part in our success.”

Coming from England where there are hardly any mixed doubles pairs to practice with, Gabby reveals the struggle of reaching the top. “England is not known for badminton unlike Asian countries. I feel they can still do better. We hope we have inspired a generation of youngsters. We may not see them now but hopefully we will see them at the All England Championships, Olympics and Commonwealth Games. If we can inspire few more players, then we will feel we have done our job.” In the short term, both of them will be hoping to help Smashers retain their title.

Top achievements  as a pair

World Championships (2017) Bronze
European Championships (2017) Gold
CWG (2014) Gold
Ranked No 5 in Mixed doubles, they are the only non-Asian pair in the top 10 in this category

srinidhi@newindianexpress.com