It was a ‘meeting of hearts’ when the two BWF World Championships medallists, P.V. Sindhu and Jwala Gutta, mingled on Sunday morning at the Jwala Gutta Academy of Excellence in Moinabad, a suburb of Hyderabad.
Sindhu, 27, is happy to meet Jwala, who she said is one of her best friends.
“She (Jwala) has been very supportive of her cause right from her early days. She extends wholehearted support and speaks straight from the heart always,” Sindhu says to Sportstar as Jwala listens from a corner.
Hailing the academy, the former World Champion says, “I did play here a long time back and am really delighted with the international standard facilities at the academy which has 14 courts and should be one of the biggest operated by a player in India itself. Importantly, they have very good coaches monitored by Dronacharya S.M. Arif sir."
Asked if she likes to train in the facility, an ecstatic Sindhu says, "Of course, I would love to train here frequently. It is always a better feeling if you keep training at different venues and the best part of the academy is it lets the players adapt to the drift factor which is so important at the highest level."
Jwala Gutta, P.V. Sindhu and coach S.M. Arif at the Jwala Gutta Academy of Excellence in Hyderabad on October 16, 2022. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“No doubt, camps, and more tournaments should be held at this academy. We should always make optimum use of the facilities available,” the two-time Olympic medallist adds.
“Having played here I can vouch that the courts are very nice and so is the lighting. The atmosphere too is superb,” says Sindhu, who started getting back to training after an injury forced her to miss the World Championships in Tokyo and the Denmark Open.
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Sindhu remains hopeful of competing in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals scheduled to be held in December.
“Hoping to be fit for the World Tour Finals and make a mark if I qualify for that by remaining in the top eight of the world,” she said.
For their part, both Jwala and Arif expressed confidence in Sindhu making a comeback in pursuit of her elusive Olympic gold in Paris 2024.
