From a child prodigy to being one of the current top stars, Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s rapid ascendancy in international badminton has fuelled Thailand’s Olympic medal hopes ahead of next year’s Paris Games.
The only player to win a hat-trick of boys’ singles titles at the World Junior Championships, Vitidsarn has emerged as the world number 8 player after a series of consistent runs in the world tour events.
He reached the summit clash at the World Tour Finals in 2021, before winning the German Open Super 300 last year but his big moment came when he secured the silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo in August.
“I am happy with my performance but every tournament I have to keep learning. I make easy mistakes sometimes. But there is no pressure,” Vitidsarn said after knocking out Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus 21-13 21-13 in the India Open opener on Wednesday.
“Today was the first day, I wanted to try out the conditions. I think I had good control. I was feeling a bit tired sometimes but it’s okay.” Not so long ago, Vitidsarn was travelling through countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and India in his early days of 2018, competing in lower-ranked international series and challenges.
“It is a step up from the junior days. It was an international challenge then, now it’s Super 500 and 750s, so I am playing a lot of top players. I am still learning how to play regular tournaments and control things.
“You need to train hard, then you will be able to control everything on court,” he said.
Vitidsarn is part of the junior batch of 2018, including India’s Lakshya Sen (12) and Japan’s Kodai Naraoka (6) -- both of whom are now ranked in the top 15.
He had, in fact, clinched his maiden World Tour title by beating Sen at the German Open final last year.
“Kodai (Naraoka) and Lakshya (Sen) are very good. But I don’t take much pressure. I think about my performance and how to improve myself. They both are faster and better than me,” the Thai shuttler said.
When you point out his silver medal in last year’s World Championships, he smiled and said, “I have been lucky.” With an all-round game, Vitidsarn has emerged as the biggest star from Thailand in men’s singles since five-time Olympian Boonsak Ponsana.
Vitidsarn could have become the second singles player from Thailand to win a World Championship gold after Ratchanok Inthanon had he gone the distance in Tokyo last year.
It was Viktor Axelsen, who denied him the glory. The world no. 1 Dane has proved to be a throne in his flesh, beating him in three finals -- 2020 Spain Masters, 2021 Swiss Open and 2021 World Tour Finals.
So is Axelsen unbeatable? “Well, it’s very hard for me and other players but I have to try everything and it is okay if I lose, I want to learn,” Vitidsarn said.
Vitidsarn had taken up badminton after being regularly down with allergies as a child.
“I had an allergy when I was young. When it’s cold sometimes I still have an allergy but overall, now I am fine,” he says.
His father is a badminton coach and it was on his insistence that he picked up the racquet sport. He has not looked back since then as his health improved and he also got success.
His young sister Sarunrak Vitidsarn, all of 15, has already set the court on fire, having won the U-17 Asia Junior Championships gold by beating India’s Unnati Hooda in Thailand.
Sarunrak also beat Hooda in the finals of the India Junior International Grand Prix 2022 in Pune.
“I sometimes teach her a few things. I tell her not to take any pressure,” Vitidsarn said.
Ask him who is a better player, Vitidsarn was quick to respond: “It’s me, me.”
Comments
SHARE