BWF Tour in Thailand: Reigning World badminton champion PV Sindhu hopes of kicking off the Olympic year with a winning start in Thailand, which will be her first competition since the All England Open in March. She believes that mental aspect will be key as it will be the first badminton event since COVID-19 pandemic halted the BWF tour. “I am really looking forward to and excited for my first tournament in Thailand (after the 2020 All England Championship). Yes, the mental aspect is the key. One needs to be very patient after such a long break.
“Hopefully, we will start playing from January [2021], with the Thailand events lined up first. We have to keep ourself safe and fit by working hard. I know this Covid-19 is going to be there and will not go just like that,” Sindhu told Sportstar.
The Olympic silver medallist is currently training in UK and says that moving to there is one of the best moves she made during the pandemic.
Sindhu has been handed a favourable draw in BWF Super 1000 tournament. Seeded sixth, she will open against Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt at the Yonex Thailand Open which starts from January 12 to 17.
In the next tournament – Toyota Thailand Open (January 19 to 24), she will face Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand in the first round.
Sindhu is currently ranked seventh in the world rankings, which means she has practically sealed the qualification to Tokyo Olympics. She will, however, be looking to get back into the top five with good results in the tournaments leading up to the Olympics this year.
“Definitely, looking forward to 2021 which is also the Olympics year. I am sure and hope to have a great year with a winning start in Thailand,” she said, reported Sportstar.
Full schedule of BWF tour (Thailand):
Yonex Thailand Open – January 12 to 17
Toyota Thailand Open – January 19 to 24
HSBC BWF World Tour Finals – January 27 to 31