World champion and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist P. V. Sindhu resumes her journey to becoming World No. 1 when she competes in Denmark Open from October 19, her first major event after winning a bronze in Tokyo Games this August.
Training under the watchful eyes of Korean coach Park Tae-Sang, who was with her when she won the Tokyo Games bronze, Sindhu feels it is great to be World No.1. “Yes, the process to reach there begins when I play in the Denmark Open. But, again, I reiterate that once you start playing consistently and keep winning, you have every chance of being at the top,” the World No. 7 Sindhu told Sportstar after another gruelling session at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
“The biggest challenge when I am back in the circuit (after skipping the Sudirman Cup and the ongoing Uber Cup events), is to stay focussed and put into action all the new tactics which I have picked up, thanks to Park and my father constantly reviewing my game, watching all the videos of my recent matches,” the 26-year-old Sindhu added.
“I have been practising hard after a break and focussing on every aspect of the game too to be a complete player,” she said.
“The biggest challenge is to give your 100 per cent every day in a tournament. Yes, sometimes we do get upset when things don’t go our way. But, we have to overcome these kinds of things. Learning is an ongoing process,” she said.
“The competition is tough and I am aware that my games are vastly studied. I have to change my tactics accordingly and make things tougher for my opponents. We have a Plan B if things go wrong with Plan A,” Sindhu said.
“You know each player and how they play. Every time you want to win but it doesn’t always happen for different reasons,” she said.
“I am more experienced, more confident and skills-wise much better now,” she said.
On the hectic schedule ahead, Sindhu felt it was okay after missing out on so many events. “We have to be mentally and physically stronger to be consistent, and as always, every single day matters,” she said.
Road to Paris
For his part, coach Park believes this is the beginning of the preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The focus has been on preparing against each of the big names she might be facing in the major events and also on the recovery process. And, if she is good at this, Sindhu will be the most difficult to beat in the circuit,” he said.
“Sindhu being so good in attack, the emphasis is on drops, half-smashes, and we are already seeing a huge change in her game as she is very strong in her defence too,” he said. “She is now in a position to confuse the opponent much better. She is too good on her day,” he concluded.
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