Out of the wilderness and into the limelight. That, in a nutshell, is Kidambi Srikanth’s story so far. Till 2012, he was only known as an up-and-coming badminton player but he has since made giant strides to be known as one of the best in the world. “It feels great to hear from people around me that I’m one of the best. It opens up new challenges for me, and gives me more responsibilities to live up to that tag,” the shy 22-year old reveals.
Quiet and unassuming, Srikanth carries his off-court demeanour on to the badminton court as well, where he quietly goes about his business, and he’s getting pretty good at it too, as his two Superseries titles, one Grand Prix Gold title and being India’s best-ranked shuttler at World No. 4, testify. Interestingly, badminton happened almost as an afterthought. “It was in 2000 or 2001,” recalled the lanky and laconic lad. “I used to accompany my brother (shuttler Nanda Gopal) to the local stadium in Guntur. Before I knew it, it turned from a casual pastime to a serious occupation.”
His parents — K.V.S. Krishna and Radha Mukunda — were completely supportive of both their sons, whom they sent to Visakhapatnam for a summer camp organised by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. Years went by as the two brothers gradually developed their skills. But Guntur simply did not have the requisite infrastructure for them to develop.
That is where Hyderabad’s Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy came in. “Until I joined the Academy in 2009, I was exploring only 50 or 60 per cent of my ability. Soon after I came to Hyderabad, I started playing at 80 per cent,” he smiles. And choosing the academy to train at wasn’t too much of a stretch. “It was, and still is, the best academy in the country. It has produced some champion shuttlers. So it was only natural that I wanted to enrol myself there,” Srikanth said.
His big break came in 2012, when he won the Maldives International Challenge. Things went quiet for a couple of years after that, until he stormed into the national consciousness with a breathtaking win over the legendary Chinese shuttler Lin Dan, in the final of the China Open Superseries. Srikanth followed that up with triumphs in Swiss Open Grand Prix and the India Open Superseries late last month and was catapulted into the Top Five of the world for his efforts.
Now, Srikanth is eyeing a double shot, at the World No. 1 ranking as well as qualification for the Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro next year. “It’s simple. If I keep performing well in every tournament I play from here on, I’ll get both birds with the same stone,” Srikanth said.
When he’s not slaying opponents on court, Srikanth can be seen spending time with friends at the academy or watching movies. And here too, Srikanth’s taste in movies is purely practical. “For me, movies are just a way of taking my mind off things for two or three hours. I just need entertainment, and I’m not fussy about what I watch,” he adds.
Being World No. 4, and India’s best shuttler by a long stretch, carries with it certain star value. And Srikanth says he’s still getting used to his superstar status. “It still comes as a bit of a surprise for me when people recognise me,” Srikanth says, adding, “While the attention is nowhere on the level that cricketers and film stars get, it still feels good,” added Srikanth, who reveals he was approached a couple of times for autographs and selfies.
Being a career shuttler, certain sacrifices are demanded of him, and he gladly makes them. In his simple, no nonsense way, Srikanth says he never missed having a regular life like most other kids his age. “Look at it this way, I can’t really miss what I never had, can I? This is the life I’ve always known, and I love it. I enjoy playing badminton and I can’t think of doing anything else,” Srikanth puts, simply. Presently, Srikanth is gearing up to represent India at the Sudirman Cup, to be played at Dongguan in China, from May 10 to 17. And we hope the Number 4 shines.
