For some of India’s top stars, 2023 was the year when they had to pause, reflect and reboot. In some cases, to recover from injuries; in a few others, to rediscover lost form. All in the hope that when the big day comes, they’ll be ready and recharged for the challenge
While the rest of the world rejoices and tucks into their favourite dishes in the holiday season, PV Sindhu needs to work up an An Se Young-sized appetite for 2024 after being left famished of a title in 2023.
For someone who wolfed down the mightiest names on the grandest stages from 2013 till 2019, the big scalps went missing this last season. The bite of the medal at Paris seems a feast too far out in the distance, though the gold is her stated goal. While the world expects a sizzle of results from the proven big-occasion performer, Bengaluru is prepping for a slow-cook simmer over the spring when Sindhu’s slated to return. “It’s going to be tough,” warns coach Vimal Kumar, who will be hosting Sindhu at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy during her upcoming stint.
She had three semis and three quarters in the last 10 tournaments of the season to paper over 8 first-round exits, since she hopped over to Bengaluru around the time of the Asian Games. Papered over, barely just.
“The last few tournaments with quarters and semis were good to gain points. But it’s the likes of An Se Young, (Carolina) Marin and Tai Tzu-Ying that Sindhu needs to get wins over if we have to say our training has started to make any difference,” says Vimal bluntly. “Tackling them will be the real test,” he sets the benchmark.
Sindhu took a game off Marin at the start of the year at Malaysia, and then again in a scorching pow-wow of a scrap at Denmark. “It’s still 60-40 in favour of Carolina, but Sindhu can bridge that gap. The crucial ones are Tai Tzu, Chen Yufei and Se Young. If Sindhu can beat the Korean once before Paris, we can start dreaming of another medal,” Vimal states.
Se Young boasts of excellent footwork, plays good lengths and has never allowed Sindhu a sniff in their six meetings. The likes of He Bingjiao, Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi aren’t as steady as the top three who appear a massive challenge at the moment. “It’s not easy now, with younger players making it tough for her to get her confidence back even before she plays the big names,” he restates realistically.
Just when Sindhu showed sparks of a renewed taste for a fight, she was forced into a scramble by another injury – protected ranking and all, till February. The knee needed serious attention and subsequent rest, she knew immediately when she felt a twitch at the French Open. Her trusted trainer Srikanth Verma is no longer working with her as she plots the path back to Paris. Coach Hafiz Hashim attached to the Suchitra academy in Hyderabad has been swapped for Indonesian Santoso Agus.
Agus flies into Bengaluru over this New Year’s weekend, just days before Sindhu lands up, to start putting together a coaching framework. “She’ll be out of match practice for two-and-a-half months. So a lot of things are difficult right now. But she’ll have a good support team and no more uncertainty,” Vimal says. Besides the post-injury struggles, the churning in her coaches saw her hop from Park Tae Sang to Vidhi Chaudhary to Hafiz Hashim, even as results continued to deteriorate.
‘Prakash might travel’
Sindhu’s storied struggles saw Padukone reach out to her, offering help which she immediately considered. The association might actually result in Padukone, who hasn’t actively coached for years, travelling with her for important tournaments. “Prakash might travel,” Vimal informs, adding, “somebody of that stature sitting at the back might give her comfort. Just him being around might help, though she has to apply herself and take initiative.”
It was the peeling off of the Sindhu aura that got Padukone back into the thick of things – first the losses to Top-Tenners, then to rank newcomers that faded her erstwhile cloak of invincibility at the Majors. Zhang Yi Man and Wang Zhi Yi, the second-rung Chinese took swiping wins off her this year and starting with Supanida Katethong, she began struggling against southpaws. There’s chatter about a biopic starring Deepika Padukone, but India’s All England champ from 1980 reckons there’s a badminton challenge here he can take up and chip in with.
“She’s been struggling for a couple of years, to be honest,” Vimal says of a prolonged slump. “There was no joy on her face and it didn’t look like she was enjoying playing. She could’ve arrested the slide earlier but her biggest strength is her experience of having beaten the biggest names.”
At 28, the wear and tear is imminent. But the downturn had been evident for a while. Sindhu used to move quicker earlier, would use smashes judiciously and could create openings at the net, taking initiative in rallies. More damagingly, she continued doing the same things, while aggression evaporated from her game, and variety stopped getting added.
In her effort to plug a few gaps in defence, Sindhu jettisoned a chunk of her attacking instinct. “Opponents did exploit her defence on the body, which was a weak link. But she began constantly working only on her defence too much and lost her strengths in the bargain. It’s not like her overall defence was poor, she used to rally well in big matches and could make opponents run when in control of the rally. Attack doesn’t mean only hitting from everywhere. It’s taking initiative,” he adds.
It’s about wresting control of the rally at the net, playing the canny tumbles, holding the shuttle and flicking it back. Padukone is expected to add to the variety of strokes from the back, and give her the confidence to play the deceptive half-smashes at the right time. It’s a bunch of choreographed sequences that will add layers to her nous.
Looking overseas
The team in Bengaluru will also encourage Sindhu to seek sparring spots overseas, perhaps against the likes of Ratchanok Intanon, one of Sindhu’s closest friends on the circuit. They are firm believers in the sort of short-stints Viktor Axelsen or Lee Zii Jia undertake, inviting varied players for practice to prepare for the actual face-offs. “It’s something she can explore and will give her confidence. She doesn’t have enough women’s singles players of high quality to train with here, and practising against boys is very different and doesn’t help. But the best part about her is that she’s very willing to learn even after so much success,” says Vimal.
A bulk of the challenge for Sindhu is pushing herself one more time, even after everything she’s achieved. “She’s been the best player on the Indian scene for a while and two Olympic medals are extremely creditable. But at her level, she could’ve achieved a lot more. Could’ve won the All England some time back. There are other tournaments and she could’ve become World No.1. All of it is not easy now. If anyone can though, it’s her because she’s diligent, will make sacrifices even after she’s played at the highest level and still has a few good years left in her,” he adds.
Another move, eight years ago, from Hyderabad to Bengaluru yielded a fresh wave of success for Saina Nehwal. Vimal oversaw a World Championships silver and All England final then, but he reckons this is different. “Saina was 24. Sindhu is 28 and has suffered her first big setback of the knee. Saina was mentally tougher and I’ve not seen her fearlessness in anybody else in Indian badminton. She was brave and not worried about consequences, and would execute what needed to be done,” he explains.
There’s a lesson, however, from the Saina move that Sindhu will benefit from heeding. “Sindhu should not, under any circumstance, overdo things,” Vimal says pithily. Saina pushed herself too hard ahead of Rio 2016 and an injury set her back considerably, though she did return for another brave Worlds bronze in 2017. He’s not worried about Sindhu regaining her speed or strength.
The lead pack of women’s singles is regrouping for another go at Paris, with Okuhara, Marin and Tai Tzu-Ying ending the year strongly, to not let An Se Young breathe easy. Sindhu, though, has her work cut out in 2024 starting with a fresh team altogether. Past the wobbly knee, there might well be a strong resolve and heavy dose of ambition. The gold medal is a mere glimmer on the horizon right now, a very tough proposition. But the glaringly missing medal might well draw out one last push from an already accomplished career.
What 2023 taught, what 2024 means
Tough year: It was the first time in many years that Sindhu finished the season without a single title, eight first-round exits, and just a pair of wins against Top-Tenners. At the major events, Asian Games and World Championships, Sindhu suffered early exits. A flicker of a fight though was always present – she did nick games off Tai Tzu-Ying, An Se Young and Carolina Marin, and reversed a result against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, a fresh Top-10 entrant.
Reboot: The coaching set-up was in a constant churn after she parted ways with Park Tae Sang. Two others came and went till Prakash Padukone offered to help. Sindhu has also parted ways with long-time trainer Srikanth Verma. She actually enjoyed training alongside India teammates during the European swing, and might well have liked the idea of returning to the comfort of familiarity at the Gopichand Academy, where she started her ascendancy. But she declared her intention to hop to Bengaluru and will give it a good go.
What next: With a protected ranking, Sindhu is likely to return only in February, and will aim for the All England Open. Padukone is said to be considering travelling as an on-court coach. She’s not exactly struggling to qualify for Paris, but would want wins against An Se Young and Tai Tzu-Ying so she knows she’s still capable of troubling the big names.
2023-12-30 06:18:25
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