Malaysia Open: Sindhu excited to take on ‘good friend’ Marin in comeback meet

Sindhu, who missed nearly half of the last season after sustaining a hamstring injury in the CWG in August, will face unseeded Carolina Marin in the opening round of the Malaysia Open Super 1000.

Published : Jan 07, 2023 18:09 IST , HYDERABAD

FILE PHOTO: P.V. Sindhu celebrates her victory against Chinese shuttler Wang Zhiyi in the women’s singles final of the Singapore Open Super 500 on July 17, 2022.
FILE PHOTO: P.V. Sindhu celebrates her victory against Chinese shuttler Wang Zhiyi in the women’s singles final of the Singapore Open Super 500 on July 17, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP
infoIcon

FILE PHOTO: P.V. Sindhu celebrates her victory against Chinese shuttler Wang Zhiyi in the women’s singles final of the Singapore Open Super 500 on July 17, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP

Sixth seed P.V. Sindhu is “excited to take on her arch-rival Carolina Marin” as she makes a comeback on the BWF World Tour in the newly upgraded Malaysia Open Super 1000, starting on January 10 in Kuala Lumpur. Sindhu missed nearly half of the last season after sustaining a hamstring injury in the Commonwealth Games in August.

“Yes, it is quite a long break of almost five months since I last played in the Commonwealth Games and won a gold. Feeling great to be back and definitely looking forward to a great year for sure,” the 27-year-old said to Sportstar before leaving for Malaysia.

“And, it is terrific to have the first match against my good friend Marin. It should be a tough campaign from the first round itself for sure,” said the two-time Olympic medallist. “Also, I do believe playing someone like Marin also gives a scope for critical evaluation about my game too,” she added.

Former world and olympic champion Marin, 29, who has recently recovered from troubling knees, is entering the Super Series event as an unseeded player.

However, Sindhu said it would not be easy to be back on the court after such a prolonged break.

“But, thanks to my father (P.V. Ramana) and the coach Park (Tae Sang) and support staff of my trainer (Srikanth Varma) and physio (B. Evangeline), ensured that there is no pain right now because they didn’t rush things.

“I was glad the way I was playing my strokes under the watchful eyes of my coach Park,” said the 2019 World Championships gold medallist.

‘Ultimate focus winning Olympic gold’

On being asked about managing the pressure of playing such a big-ticket event, Sindhu explained, “No way there is going to be any pressure. Being used to all these things, I am ready for any kind of challenges because the preparations have been really good - all we hope is that everything falls in place on the given day consistently in a tournament.”

Also Read | The year Axelsen made winning a habit

“Well, the focus has been on a complete recovery. Only when I felt comfortable, then I decided to be back in the circuit,” said Sindhu, ranked seventh in the world.

“As the Olympics qualification also starts soon, it is always good to compete at the highest level. Definitely hoping for the best year ahead which is going to be tough for sure,” she said.

“With the Paris Olympics scheduled next year, the ultimate goal is of course winning gold,” signed off Sindhu.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment