There is no doubt that PV Sindhu is probably the best badminton player the country has produced. In fact, I would say without hesitation that she might just be the best sportswoman the country has had the pleasure of hosting for any national award.
Sindhu was honored with the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan, the Arjuna and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
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From 2009 to almost 2021, she dominated world badminton and was the toughest player to face. Tall, lanky with strong, long, chiseled legs, which propelled her across the court smoothly and easily as she pounded every player in the world with amazing ease.
Naturally aggressive, her game resembled her. Aggressive and fast. Using her height and the strength of her shoulders, she adopted the basic spike and net game, which earned her 26 international medals including two consecutive medals at the Rio and Tokyo games, five world championship medals including the gold in 2019, five CWG medals including individual gold in 2022, two Uber Cup medals and so on.
There are at least 20 titles she has won on the BWF Tour including 2 from the Tour Finals. We have not included the medals she won as a junior. But her journey to stardom began with a medal at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships in 2009.
And who was her coach as she embarked on a winning streak?
You guessed right. It was Pullela Gopichand who raised her from the age of ten. Prior to Gopi’s arrival, good foundations had been laid by the late Mehboob Ali and SM Arif.
We have repeatedly heard the story of a 50km journey from his home in Mawedpally. It’s true but Gopi had seen a spark in her early on.
When I was writing his biography “Le monde sous son exploit”, he said to me: “Wait and see. This girl is world championship material. Very determined, hardworking and very ambitious. She has already become one of the best juniors in the world, she also began to beat the best seniors. She has the range and the power to win points”, in 2010/2011.
Gopi had already proven his bona fides as a coach as Saina Nehwal showed by rising to world No. 2. And this wonderful combination of Gopi and Sindhu lasted until 2019 when Saina chose to train under Kim Ji Hyun from Korea. The Sindhu gopi combination not only brought great laurels to the country but also made Sindhu fabulously wealthy.
And while Forbes magazine has declared PV Sindhu to be among the ten highest earning women in sports, let’s also see the mind-blowing awards and accolades she has achieved after securing Rio Games silver and gold at the world championships in 2019.
1 Crore from BYJU, 25 Lakhs from BCCI, 50 Lakhs plus Telangana Government land, 30 Lakhs plus 1000 yard land plus offer to join elite services as Deputy Collector of Andhra Pradesh Government, Bharat Petroleum – 7.5 Lakhs, 20 Lakhs from Delhi government, 5 Lakhs each from MP government, Haryana, SAI, BAI, an NRI fan from Sindhu and AIFF, 3 Lakhs from IOC, 1 Lakh from actor Salman Khan , a BMW car of Sachin Tendulkar, a diamond necklace worth 6 Lakhs of NPC Jweller, 2 acre piece of land of actor Vijay Chandan, Mahindra Thar car of Anand Mahindra.
After the Tokyo games, she had more. Additionally, it endorses some 14 brands like JBC, Bridgestone Tires, Gatorade, Moov, Bank of Baroda, Myntra, Flipkart, Nokia, Boost, Stayfree, Asian Paints, and LiNing. And yes, she is the brand ambassador for CRPF and Vizag Steel.
And Gopi had been the coach from the beginning when she was a little girl until she played in Rio games.
Now, something has definitely gone wrong in their relationship. Because at that time, there are few statements in the press made by his father Ramanna that indicate that all was not well.
Ramanna said Gopi has no time for Sindhu. After the 2018 Asian Games, he lost interest in her. Gopi did not provide a good practice partner for Sindhu.
Sindhu left the academy and training is now under Park Tae Sang at Gachibowli Stadium. Sindhu even went on to say that leaving Gopi Academy “is the best decision” she has ever made. And that Coach Park should continue until the games in Paris next year. He made me a better player. I didn’t miss Gopi in Tokyo.
All of these statements were circulating, but Gopi was generally stoic and quiet, unresponsive. He must have felt hurt though.
Gopi, however, praised the former world champion. “I think overall he’s a very physically strong person and he’s developed some punches over time. And she can crush any opponent.”
So Gopi was his trainer for a very long time. He really knows his strengths and weaknesses. He knows his psychology and his mental strength.
Why does she look weak in all departments of the game?
She has achieved unflattering results in major tournaments played so far in 2023.
At the Malaysian Open, she lost to former foe Carolina Marin in a three-game affair with the Spaniard winning 21-12/10-21/21-15. In the India Open, she once again succumbed to last year’s winner Katetjong Supanida of Thailand 14-21/20-22. A first-round loss awaited her at All-England where she lost to Zhang Yu Min of China 17-21/11-21.
During the Swiss Open, where she was to defend her title, she was won by the Indonesian qualifier Kusuma Putri who won 21-16/12-21/21-18. In The Spanish Master, an unfortunate Sindhu was kicked out by an unknown Greagia Manishka on 8/21/08.
So what has gone wrong for her in the past 7-8 months? Will she be able to make a strong comeback and keep her place of glory?
Aparna Popat, a nine-time national champion and two-time Olympian, said: “I think she has no clarity in her game. She should have a plan in her game. She goes to court without having that confidence. . You should see this Spanish Masters match where she lost 8-21/8-21. She looked distraught and out of depth.”
“But Sindhu has vast experience and I think she just has a bad run. I will not be surprised to see her again as a champion,” he added.
the former Asian champion, the legendary Dinesh Khanna, also felt that he followed these tournaments closely.
“It was indeed sad to see Sindhu playing a game with absolutely no clue. There was no clean play, no thinking. She may have to go back to basics. I also thought she must be mentally strong. She has to play a game that suits her,” Khanna said.
So how do you get it back on track?
First and foremost, you have to play to your strength. For reasons best known to her and her current trainer, Park Sae Tang, Sindhu became a retriever. She tries to win by knocking you down. His game is not that at all.
She used to pulverize her opponents by peppering the opposite court with searing blows. Followed by this cry of ecstasy when she understood. And that cry is no longer heard. She used to cheer herself up brilliantly. No more.
Second, playing at this high level is a mental dance. Everyone is in good shape. Thus, players who are confident in themselves will do better.
The way Sindhu performed in the Spanish Master was shocking. She looked like a lamb brought to the slaughterhouse. She needs to work on her mental focus.
Former national head coach Vimal Kumar said: “Sindhu is just playing out of shape. She’s only 27 and still has good badminton in her. However, why she plays a slow defensive game these days is mystifying. But I have a strong feeling that she will surely make a comeback.”
To be fair, she has been plagued with injuries since the end of last year and it seems to me that she hasn’t fully recovered. But from the end of 2021, we noticed a big drop in his game.
The 2022 calendar has been wiped clean thanks to the Covid pandemic. The start of the 2023 season was a nightmare for her. It was taken away by very mediocre players.
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Can she make a comeback? This is the million rupee question.
It is difficult but possible. The only person who can get her back on track is none other than Gopichand who knows her mental toughness and game inside out.
Park Tae Sung resigned as coach in February this year. And with qualifying for the Paris games starting in May this year, there’s no time to waste.
If Gopi needs to be coaxed, cajoled and caressed, let’s do it. Both Gopi and Sindhu must know that national glory is much more important.
The President of the BAI must use his good offices to achieve this rapprochement. The combination of Gopi and Sindhu could well restore glory to Indian badminton.
No one knows exactly what happened between the two. It’s time to forget the past. So for India, let’s do it.
Et comme l’a dit le poete, “Zindagi ko kuch est tarah aasan interdit Diya, Kisi se muaffi mang li, kisi ko maff kar Diya.”
Or as Arnab Goswami would have said “The country wants to know—”
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