Kidambi Srikanth Scripts History, Attains World No.1 Ranking
12th April, 2018. This day will always be remembered as the golden day in Indian sport. Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth who is currently taking part in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, became World’s no.1 men’s singles player, a feat only Prakash Padukone had achieved way back in 1980.
Kidambi Srikanth. (Getty Images)
New Delhi: 12th April, 2018. This day will always be remembered as the golden day in Indian sport. Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth who is currently taking part in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, became World’s no.1 men’s singles player, a feat only Prakash Padukone had achieved way back in 1980.
In a country where sports persons struggle to match athletes from world over, badminton has given Indian fans another reason to cheer about. The 25-year-old Srikanth pipped Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen to reach top of the rankings. Currently, Srikanth has 76, 895 points while Viktor stands at 75,470. As the country is busy celebrating the success of our athletes in Australia, this rare feat is bound to overshadow all the other achievements.
The foundation of becoming no. 1 was perhaps laid in 2017 where Srikanth reached five Superseries finals and won four of them. In the unpredictable men’s circuit he churned out performances in every tournament and reached top of the pile. Though he is yet to win big in global events like Olympics and World Championships, he has just given a glimpse of what’s to follow.
Parupalli Kashyap, former world no.6 and compatriot feels that this performance by Srikanth is going to inspire all the players to give it their best and continue to put in the hard yards.
Speaking to News18 Sports, Kashyap said, “We all know how tough it is to reach the top of the rankings and when the competition is so strong. I know how difficult it is to reach there. Srikanth has worked really hard for this and I’m happy for him. I’d like to say that I’m extremely happy for the coaches who have given it their all to train all the shuttlers.
“I wish that he keeps improving in the future as a player and add more milestones in his career. This achievement is definitely going to motivate me and other players too. He has shown us that reaching world no.1 is possible too. All of us will have to collectively keep working hard to improve as players.”
Now that Srikanth has made it to the top of the pile it will be important for him to sustain his ranking. Seeing the competition he has in men’s singles, it is going to be a tough ask. But Kashyap believes that if he is good enough to become no. 1, then he can sustain his ranking too.
“It is extremely tough to achieve this milestone and will be tougher to maintain his ranking. But for me, if he is good enough to make it to the top, then he can surely sustain his ranking too. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain the consistency, but as we all know Srikanth, he can do it for sure. With the right kind of training and fitness he is capable of attaining greater heights in his career,” he concluded.
In a country where sports persons struggle to match athletes from world over, badminton has given Indian fans another reason to cheer about. The 25-year-old Srikanth pipped Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen to reach top of the rankings. Currently, Srikanth has 76, 895 points while Viktor stands at 75,470. As the country is busy celebrating the success of our athletes in Australia, this rare feat is bound to overshadow all the other achievements.
The foundation of becoming no. 1 was perhaps laid in 2017 where Srikanth reached five Superseries finals and won four of them. In the unpredictable men’s circuit he churned out performances in every tournament and reached top of the pile. Though he is yet to win big in global events like Olympics and World Championships, he has just given a glimpse of what’s to follow.
Parupalli Kashyap, former world no.6 and compatriot feels that this performance by Srikanth is going to inspire all the players to give it their best and continue to put in the hard yards.
Speaking to News18 Sports, Kashyap said, “We all know how tough it is to reach the top of the rankings and when the competition is so strong. I know how difficult it is to reach there. Srikanth has worked really hard for this and I’m happy for him. I’d like to say that I’m extremely happy for the coaches who have given it their all to train all the shuttlers.
“I wish that he keeps improving in the future as a player and add more milestones in his career. This achievement is definitely going to motivate me and other players too. He has shown us that reaching world no.1 is possible too. All of us will have to collectively keep working hard to improve as players.”
Now that Srikanth has made it to the top of the pile it will be important for him to sustain his ranking. Seeing the competition he has in men’s singles, it is going to be a tough ask. But Kashyap believes that if he is good enough to become no. 1, then he can sustain his ranking too.
“It is extremely tough to achieve this milestone and will be tougher to maintain his ranking. But for me, if he is good enough to make it to the top, then he can surely sustain his ranking too. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain the consistency, but as we all know Srikanth, he can do it for sure. With the right kind of training and fitness he is capable of attaining greater heights in his career,” he concluded.