BENGALURU: Injuries are part and parcel of an athlete’s career and sometimes their timing can make it more painful. The likes of Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth have had their fair share of injuries. With next April being the time when shuttlers will make the cut for 2020 Olympics, their workload management this year assumes even more importance.

India can have two entries in men’s and women’s singles, provided they are ranked inside top 16 of their respective categories when BWF releases its rankings on the 30th of that month. For doubles, the ranking cap is 8. What makes it even more difficult for the shuttlers is the fact that men’s and women’s top-15 players have to mandatorily feature in 12 tournaments every calendar year.

Though Sameer Verma, HS Prannoy and Sai Praneeth — all ranked within top 25 — may have a bit of breathing space in this context, but giving their rankings a boost will still entail being on court on a regular basis. Prannoy, in particular, has a lot more on his plate as compared to the other two. The 26-year-old was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease last July.

That ailment had nullified what had been a stellar 2017 for him, a year in which he’d reached his career-best rank of World No 8. The disease again resurfaced during the past few months, leaving Prannoy gasping for breath whenever he takes to the court. 

India chief coach Pullela Gopichand has his fingers crossed for his players. “I think it will be a mad rush for players. I’ve seen many qualifications go by in the last few years, and I do believe that players need to take extreme care about injury-prevention. They also have to perform consistently. So, it will be a tough year. Hopefully, we will have less injuries and manage well.”

Despite the pressure of a minimum number of tournaments, picking the competitions they will take part in will help shuttlers cope with their workload. That could involve avoiding back-to-back events. “Players will choose some bad tournaments. By nature, they will expect miracles to happen for somehow getting good results. That doesn’t happen all the time,” remarked Gopichand. “I feel that you need to be mature, clear, and armed with the plan. Obviously it’s not always going to work as per that. The back-up has to be based on sound principles, not wishful thinking.” 

All the top India players looked sharp during the recently concluded Premier Badminton League, which was a good way to test themselves against quality opponents. Now, the big test will start for them, as they will begin their BWF campaign at Indonesia Masters later this month.