The year 2018 is coming to an end, and for a few celebrities the year has been amazing — personally and professionally. Famous personalities from the city share how 2018 unfolded for them and what their plans are for the upcoming year.
I have evolved as a person: Sania Mirza
In many ways 2018 has been the best year I have ever had. All my life I have had to look back on how I performed on the tennis court but this time it was off it! Motherhood is huge and seems like a big achievement. It’s an extremely special feeling. This is everything I ever wanted.
Pregnancy was self-realising in many ways — sometimes I would surprise myself in terms of how we take it for granted, how our bodies react and the many things they can do. It was a huge learning experience for me. And giving birth to (son) Izhaan is bigger than anything I’ve ever won on the tennis court and will remain with me forever.
I was very active almost till the end of my pregnancy, trying to do everything possible. It was a good time to reflect on things I wouldn’t usually think of while playing on the busy circuit.
Experience teaches you a lot and I think I’ve evolved into a better person because being a mother makes you selfless — you put that one person ahead of everything else in the world. Izhaan is a good boy but keeps me very busy. However, I have a lot of help and am very thankful for that. My mum is really hands-on and is very attached, so that helps. My son is just two months old and does something new every day. I just can’t wait to see what else is in store.
Thinking of next year, tennis-wise I am not giving myself a time target, but realistically it will take a while because I am not even allowed to lift weights for a few weeks because of the surgery (C-section) that I had. Until then I am trying to lose all the weight. In February, I will start working on getting back my muscles, with my conditioning coach, but I just want to take it slow, not put pressure on myself and hope it will be a healthy 2019.
I am looking forward to next year: P.V. Sindhu
I would say overall it has been a successful year. Although I have had some narrow misses, that has only made me stronger and pushed me to strive harder toward my goals. It feels really good to end the year on a high. The BWF World Finals Title win gives me real joy and motivation to keep this run going.
I have worked hard to ensure I can beat top players and beating Nozomi Okuhara a few times in the last couple of months was one thing that I have worked upon. It will be extremely crucial to maintain my shape and be on top of my game, especially with the qualifiers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics taking place next year. Every preparation that I make, every game I play will be in accordance with the 2020 Olympics.
Now, with the ongoing Premier Badminton League and playing for the home team, Hyderabad Hunters, I am excited as for the first time I am representing fans from my own city, this is very special and I am enjoying every moment of it. I hope and want to win the title once again for the Hunters.
It was a progressive year: Hanuma Vihari
This year will be a memorable and a very progressive year for me! I got engaged to my girlfriend, Preetiraj. I got some useful runs in domestic cricket too, which enabled my dream to play for India come true.
Playing and sharing the dressing room alongside the likes of Virat (Kohli) and others was a wonderful experience. I have learnt a lot, so I think I have taken some good strides this year, which I feel have been very satisfying.
I still remember the days when I dreamt of playing for India! I remember all the tough times I went through, and I felt things would only get difficult with time. But soon, I realised that when the going got tough, the tough got going. I started to understand myself better and accept the challenges. So these challenges triggered a change in my attitude and personality, and I was posed for higher honours.
One of the biggest challenges is to consistently play for Team India! Since I am also part of the team that is touring Australia and New Zealand, playing in those conditions will be challenging. But the only way I could negotiate it is through extensive practice sessions. It is very important to understand and get used to the conditions quickly so that you have the opportunity to score big. I am well-prepared for the tour as I know what needs to be done to match that intensity.
Injuries made me understand my body better: Parupalli Kashyap
Personally, it’s been a fantastic year! I got married to Saina Nehwal and things have been smooth sailing! Even professionally, I feel blessed to have her in my life because we have trained together earlier so nothing is going to change in terms of our approach.
We know each other for a long time, and she’s pretty active too and that boosts my energy. In fact, we motivate each other. A couple of days after marriage, we had to prepare for the PBL. I know how she trains, but seeing her from close quarters is really satisfying.
Professionally, I have to say that it has been a year of ups and downs. In fact, the last couple of years I had setbacks due to my injuries. I will try to play a few tournaments in this year and better my World Rankings from No. 44. I have had issues with my back due to which I had to stay away from a few tournaments. So the year was a mixed one.
I want to qualify for the World Championship, followed by prepping for another four major tournaments. I also have a few tougher tournaments to compete in. So I am optimistic and hoping to lead a healthy and injury-free 2019.
It was indeed very tough dealing with injuries related to the shoulder and back. In fact, I had to miss several tournaments including BWF Grand Prix Gold, and 2016 Olympics due to injury. It was very disappointing and then the shoulder injury too affected me in 2018.
Then, I had to deal with a back and leg injury as well. It took time for me to recover. However, I still managed to play and make it to World Rankings No. 44.
All in all, I think it was one of those phases where I had to go through a lean patch and stay away from badminton. But that’s not in my hands, right? But these injuries made me be more patient and understand my body better.
