Parupalli Kashyap Sets Sight on Injury-free Road to Superseries Glory

New Delhi: There are not many players in the world who might have plummeted to ineffable lows like shuttler Parupalli Kashyap. All was going well for the former India No. 1 men's singles player till 2015, before a string of injuries — over the next two years — pulled him down. Not any ordinary niggle, these injuries kept him out of action each time, for at least three to four months.

In 2018, when Kashyap has already made a quarterfinal appearance in a Superseries — India Open — he looks back at the tough time as a learning curve. The 31-year-old describes his journey as 'really tough' and one where he was skeptical about his comeback on the court.

"I had big lay-offs due to injuries in 2015 and 2016. In the start of 2017, I was fine for three-four months and then the shoulder injury happened. I have been trying to get back to general fitness level since then. It has been really tough, because all this while I was thinking whether to play some tournaments or not. In fact last year, I was just trying to figure out what my fitness level was, and where I was lacking.

"I sometimes felt that I wasn't playing up to the mark, in the matches. Had I been winning in that duration that would have really helped as then I would have made it to some more quarters and my ranking would have improved. Looking back, my performances could have been better but it was a learning for me. It is something (injuries) that I had not faced in my career. Since 2012, I have been in the top-10 and then from 2015 I was perennially injured, "Kashyap, the man on a comeback trail, told News 18 Sports.

There was a time in 2016, when the Hyderabadi did not even feature in the top-90 players. Also, injury meant that he had to take time off badminton and concentrate on rehab. But a prolonged absence from the court saw other players rise up the ranks. The likes of Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth improved leaps and bounds in that period, leaving Kashyap a long bridge to cover.

"The dip in rankings did affect me. Since the time injuries hit me, a lot of young players have come up from the country. I had an edge over them, and experience too. Post the injury-induced breaks that touch was lost and also credit to the youngsters for doing well. Having said that, at times at training I felt that I can beat them, but it is a different ball-game to perform in the tournaments. That takes a little bit more time. You need a good rhythm. So I need to really do well in the future to reach the top," he added.

Kashyap can never cease to lament the time he lost because of the injuries, which came at a time when he was at his best. But the injury-phase is over for him, and he is looking to make the most of it.

"I recovered from knee surgery in 2016, and then I had a calf-muscle tear. In early 2017, I suffered a shoulder injury that was a little more complex from what I thought. Because of that I kept having a pain, which never allowed me to give my best.

"Last November is when I started feeling confident about my body. Now I'm fine, and am progressing really well. I have played without any issue for three months now and my ranking is in top-40. So these are good signs for me," he said.

Having achieved a career-best ranking of 6, Kashyap feels that he was a world beater because of his fitness and only that can take him to where he belongs — the top. He is already making moves in the right direction and just needs to be consistent to be able to win tournaments for India.

In fact, as Kashyap doesn't feature in the top-32 players in the world currently, he doesn't have a tight schedule like other Indian shuttlers and can pick and choose tournaments.

"The reason I was in top-10 for three-four years was because of my fitness levels. That brought the consistency in my game. That is the only thing missing from my game right now. But I'm sure I'll achieve that this year.

"The schedule is not very tight for me. It is tough for all the players who are going to qualify for all the major events. There is no All England Championship for me this year as there is no qualifying round there. And I would be beyond 40 when the tournament happens. So right now, my only concern is to be 100 per cent fit and give my best on the court," he concluded.