Hyderabad: Badminton sensation P.V. Sindhu drew curtains on a spectacular year when she defending her Macau Open Grand Prix title on Sunday and it was the icing on the cake for the 19-year-old. Apart from her Macau triumph, Sindhu had won a bronze medal each at the Badminton Asia Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships.
“I’m extremely happy. It’s been a very special year for me. Hopefully, I’ll win more titles next year,” Sindhu said on Tuesday, after her return to Hyderabad.If one has to nitpick, then the lack of Superseries silverware in her resume can be considered a sore spot, but Sindhu says she is unfazed. “We cannot play at our best in every match in every tournament. Sometimes we do well, and sometimes we can’t. While I wish I had won a Superseries this year, I hope I will win one very soon.”
Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand said he was delighted with his ward’s year-end performance. “To have Sindhu win this title in her last tournament is creditable. This win should boost her confidence and we should see more such results next year,” Gopi said.
Next year, being an Olympic qualification year, is going to be very crucial, and Gopi called on all his shuttlers to be on their toes. “We’ve had some very good results this year, but we cannot afford to get complacent. We need to work hard and keep aiming higher.”
Talking about her game, Sindhu played down suggestions that she might be losing steam late into a match. “It’s not really an issue. Sometimes in matches we lose momentum. The important thing is to learn from the mistakes.”After occupying a career-high of ninth spot in the world rankings, Sindhu is currently No.11, which doesn’t do her immense potential justice. But Gopi says world ranking is hardly an issue at the moment. “I’ve never been too worried about rankings. It’s all about how one performs in big tournaments.
Also, this year has been tough where rankings are concerned. Events like the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games don’t contribute to rankings points. That way, Sindhu hasn’t played the numbers. But that’s hardly an issue.”
Gopi denies there is any added pressure on him to produce champions, with the departure of Saina Nehwal, who now trains under Vimal Kumar in Bengaluru. “It isn’t about individual performances anymore. We have several players who are in great form. We need to hunt as a team, look for success as a nation,” Gopichand added.
