Sourabh Verma: ‘Gaining confidence with recent performances’

"I was little disappointed with the Polish Open finals but I’m feeling confident also after the way I performed in these two tournaments," said Sourabh, who today jumped 14 places to reach World No. 81.

Sourabh was doing fine till 2014 but after December he first injured his elbow and then a knee injury further pegged him back. It has been a struggle ever since for Sourabh, who had a career-best ranking of World no 35.

Badminton player Sourabh Verma is a bit disappointed after losing two finals at Belgium and Poland but said his performances gave him a lot of confidence as he eyes a comeback after being left on the sidelines due to a series of injuries.

“I was little disappointed with the Polish Open finals but I’m feeling confident also after the way I performed in these two tournaments,” Sourabh, who today jumped 14 places to reach World No. 81, told PTI.

“I am playing Russia Grand Prix next. Russia and Thailand are on the same time but I’m playing Russia,” he added.

Talking about the two finals that he lost at Belgium and Poland, Sourabh said: “In Belgium finals, I started off well and was leading 11-3 in the interval and 17-11 in the first game but couldn’t continue the same momentum till the end of the first game and in the second game it was all neck to neck but the opponent managed to pull it out.

“In Poland, it was again a tough match. I tried my best but was struggling with my movements on the court because in the semifinals my ankle got twisted while playing against the Malaysian player. So, I was not moving well on the court next day in the finals,” he explained.

Asked if his ankle is fine now, Sourabh said: “I came back on Tuesday only, so I’ll show it to Physio soon.”

About targets for this year, Sourabh said he will continue to play Grand Prix and Grand Prix Golds tournaments.

“I will look to play a lot of challengers, Grand Prix and Grand Prix Golds tournaments. If I do well, ranking will take care of itself.”

A former National champion, Sourabh had reached two Grand Prix Gold finals at Syed Modi in 2011 and Malaysia Open in 2014 but injuries never allowed him to play for a longer tenure at the international circuit.

Sourabh was doing fine till 2014 but after December he first injured his elbow and then a knee injury further pegged him back. It has been a struggle ever since for Sourabh, who had a career-best ranking of World no 35.

Early this year, he reached the Senior National Finals before losing to brother Sameer Verma.