Sindhu backs decision to train at Gachibowli Stadium

World Champion P.V. Sindhu looks to continue training outside the Gopi Chand Academy even after the Tokyo Olympics.

India's P. V. Sindhu said training at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad is ideal preparation for the Tokyo Games since the facility is huge and gives her the feel of stadiums where big-ticket events like the Olympics are held.

World Champion P.V. Sindhu looks to continue training outside the Gopi Chand Academy even after the Tokyo Olympics.

In mid-February this year, Sindhu shifted her training base to the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad to train under Korean coach Park Tae Sang.

"Attack is my strong point. The rivals know my game so I am working on my defence as well. I am tall, so my attack is good. I have to be prepared for all strokes, for everything"

“When we have facilities of international standard, why not use that? If you want to compete against the top-class players, you have to make sure everything is perfect. Gachibowli is a bigger, international-level stadium. Wherever we go, we will always be playing in a bigger stadium, then why not get used to it?” said Sindhu during a virtual press conference on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy along with their Danish coach Mathias Boe also moved to Gachibowli Stadium. B. Sai Praneeth, under Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso, continues to train at the Academy.

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Talking about her training, Sindhu elaborated, “I do on-court sessions at Gachibowli. My gym and off-court sessions take place at Suchitra Academy, where my trainer gives me training. He is really helping me out. If I need sparring partners, I get them from Suchitra Academy.”

Underlining the factors that led to training in the stadium, Sindhu said, “When you play in a big stadium, you make sure you control the shuttle, which is very, very important. Sometimes, when you play abroad, there is drift, there is AC or the shuttle might be just fast. Also, I am learning new skills and techniques.”

Praise for Park

About training with Park Tae Sang, Sindhu said, “When I started training under Park (one and half years ago), it was not easy to grasp what he was teaching. We practised each day and the communication got better. He is always supporting and motivating me. He is doing a great job.”

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Looking at the likely field in the absence of defending champion Carolina Marin in Tokyo, Sindhu said, “You can’t take it easy. There are a lot of good players like Tai Tzu-Ying, Ratchanok, Okuhara, Yamaguchi and others. Those ranked from 1 and 10, have the same standard. I have to be prepared.

“When I started off this year, it wasn’t too great for me because of the big gap due to lockdown. But I came back and rectified my mistakes. I played the All-England and improved on my game. Attack is my strong point but I’m also focusing a lot on defence.”