I remember…The build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics was something special for the Indian shuttlers. The country was sending its biggest ever contingent in the sport for the mega event, and there was a lot of interest in the way our singles players — Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu were playing.
Experts were hoping for a couple of medals from the sport.
While others were busy trying to get in touch with Srikanth and Saina for interviews, I for once, thought it would be a nice idea to speak with Sindhu — the first female badminton player from India to win a World Championship medal, and the dark horse of the tournament. The then 22-year-old obliged, and spoke at length about the areas she wanted to improve upon and how she wanted to get a medal for India, from a field that consisted of the like of Carolina Marin, Wang Yihan, Li Xuerui, Tai Tzu-ying, Nehwal and the Japanese duo of Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara.
The aura she possessed, and the confidence she exuded made me believe too, that she could win. But after the interview, many experts from the sport told me, why she could not — her defence was under the scanner at that point in time.
Exactly the glitch, Sindhu had said, she was wanted to iron out. Nehwal, one of the best in the world was given a better chance of winning another medal for the country.
Later, what Sindhu went on to achieve in that Olympics — she clinched a silver, losing out to Marin in the final — was nothing short of stunning. In the years to come, she went on to win many big tournaments consistently and also failed in the finals on a few occasions. But the zeal to keep improving was always there.
Cut to 2021, once again the lanky shuttler was under-pressure to win a medal for the country. The challenges were a little different, and far too many this time around. She had a forgettable 2020, where she did not make it to a single final and the rest of the season was lost due to Covid. Of course, her decision to part ways with coach Pullela Gopichand a year before the games was also looked as the potential reason for her downfall. This time her attack and speed were identified as the areas of improvement too.
But such things hardly bother a champion, and Sindhu showed one and all why she is perhaps India’s greatest sportsperson. In the buildup to the 2020 games, I did not get a chance to interview Sindhu or witness her grueling practice sessions, but am certain that the work, toil and sweat put in by the Hyderabadi would be twice as much, from the previous editions of the game.
Now, at 26, I firmly believe that Sindhu’s best years are yet to come and an Olympic gold is the only target she is looking at. She, by all means, can achieve that and become the greatest female shuttler the world has ever seen, and her journey is for everyone to see.
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