World champion, P.V. Sindhu, resumed training on Wednesday at the Suchitra Academy, which she considers as her ‘second home’.
As the state government eased out restrictions on the sporting activities, Sindhu was back in business, going for a full-length training session, under the watchful eyes of fitness trainer M. Srikanth Verma. The 25-year-old sweated it out for three hours. “Well, it should take just two weeks of serious training for me to get back to my good self. It is going to be difficult but not impossible,” a visibly delighted Sindhu told Sportstar .
READ: Sindhu hails fitness coach Srikanth Verma's role in World Championship win
“It is great to be here. The lockdown has been really frustrating to say the least. But, fortunately, thanks to the guidance of my father (Arjuna Awardee and former international volleyball player P.V. Ramana who accompanied her), I have ensured that I was not lagging too far behind on this front,” she said.
Sindhu also explained the reason behind choosing Srikanth for the training sessions. “He understands my needs and comes up with the right kind of physical conditioning exercises which actually, if you remember, helped me a long way before I went on to be the world champion last year,” Sindhu said.
“I am in a comfort zone at Suchitra Academy thanks to the efforts and interest of K.V Praveen Raju and K. Pradip Raju (of Suchitra Academy) who ensure everything that I look for is there here. And, even in these times, I am pleased with the kind of safety measures they put in place,” she said.
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She admits that the training sessions will be different in the days to come. “We can’t obviously expect similar conditions which prevailed in pre-pandemic days,” Sindhu says. “It is important for the coach to know what the player needs and also vice versa. One has to be extremely cautious with these sessions to stay clear of any risk factor,” she said.
“We are not sure what is going to happen both on the court and off it. But as a player I should be ready for the challenges of being in action as and when the BWF schedules an event after the pandemic,” Sindhu said. With not much time left for next year’s Olympics, Sindhu understands that it is important to peak at the right time to fulfil her dreams of clinching gold in Tokyo.
Did the lockdown force a rethink on any particular aspect of her game?
“Well, there is always the intense desire to keep improving with each passing day. Yes, I am trying out some new strokes which you will be seeing soon. You have to be a different player consistently to outsmart the rivals,” the 2016 Olympics silver medallist explained. On resumption of training at Gopi Academy, where all the Olympic probables are expected to train, Sindhu said, she is awaiting details.
“COVID-19 is spreading very quickly, that way everyone should be very careful. We have to focus hard, we don’t know what is going to happen, be prepared, understand the situation,” Sindhu said.
“We are used to a lot of spectators’ support. We may have to come to be ready to play in front of empty stands too. Even as players, we have to avoid many things which we used to do earlier like shaking hands, moving together during sparring sessions involving more than two players. Things will be different for sure in the days to come,” she signed off.
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