Training in UK during COVID break one of my best moves: PV Sindhu

NEW DELHI: World badminton champion PV Sindhu has said that moving to the United Kingdom for her training is one of the best moves she made during the Covid-19-induced break that she had from competitions for the better part of the year just gone by.

Sindhu moved to the UK in October and has been training there ever since. She is set to make her comeback to professional badminton at two Thailand Open tournaments that will be played from January 12 to 17 and January 19 to 24.

"Travelling to the UK has been one of the best moves I should say, especially, because of the pandemic break in India. Despite the weather being extremely cold here, I am enjoying the high-intensity training sessions," Sindhu told SportStar.

"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 said.

Sindhu's last competition was the All England Open between March 11 and 15.

"I am really looking forward to and excited for my first tournament in Thailand (after the 2020 All England Championship). Yes, mental aspect is the key. One needs to be very patient after such a long break," she said.

Sindhu's world ranking of seven means that she has practically sealed qualification to the 2021 Olympics, which was postponed from last year and will be held from July 23 to August 8 this year. 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," Sindhu said.