I need to work harder and I am doing that, says PV Sindhu

Rio Olympic Games silver medallist PV Sindhu lost 12-21, 5,21 to nemesis Carolina Marin in the Swiss Open badminton final on Sunday night. For Sindhu’s carping critics, this was another chance to have a go at the diva. However,  the 25-year-old who shone like a beacon when she won the World championship not long ago feels she is shaping up well for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sindhu knows that all that she does, on and off the court, comes under the scanner. When she left for England last year, rumour mills worked overtime. Now that she is back and training hard at the Gachibowli Stadium in her hometown, Hyderabad, under coach Park Tae Sang, the speculation ends.

In an exclusive interview, Sindhu talks of what it has been like thus far in 2021 and how she plans to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

Excerpts from the interview: 

How do you view your performances in the last four tournaments this year? 

Well, my view on the performances in the last four tournaments, I think Thailand was not so great. I would say the Swiss Open was good. I am happy I am progressing.

But, yes, I wasn’t happy with my performance in the final and I think I’m getting stronger and coming back stronger. I wish I can do well in the coming tournaments. So, next up would be All England Championships. It’s time to be focused and work hard and do my best in that tournament.

What are the inputs gained from the Swiss Open final against Carolina Marin?

I would say it wasn’t my day and I think it was not the right strategy and I continuously gave her points, even though I wanted to come into my ow rhythm. I think I gave her a huge lead early, so yes, that was the whole point. But I have  a lot to learn from that. I was playing Carolina after a very long time, so the next time I play against her, I think it would definitely be different.

Tell us a bit about the influence of coach Park Tae Sang on your game.

Well, every coach is different. Yeah, we’ve been training together since a very long time now and it’s really helping me out and he’s been giving his inputs as a coach and it’s always good to, you know, learn and know things, implement them in your game. As I have already said, every coach has a different mindset and, you know, different inputs.  So, it’s good to take everything.

Training at the Gachibowli Stadium has been really very nice. I need to train in big stadium as it helps me when I go abroad. I am really thankful to the Sports Ministry, the Badminton Association of India and the Telangana Government for all their support given to me.

Can you share some insights into how training in England helped you?

Yes, training in England definitely helped me. Since you know, it was lockdown (due to Covid-19) and we had no tournaments (in 2020), I thought it was a good time for me to go to England. Also, I’ve been associated with GSSI (Gatorade Sports Science Institute) who do my body analysis and sweat analysis.

Generally, I don’t get so much time because we have a packed schedule each year. So, I thought it was a good time to go. It really helped me. It is not like a, short process, it’s definitely a long process where it is very important to take care of your body. So, I would say, yes, it was a good time and it has helped me where I actually trained as well and got my body analysis done.

Do you have a mind trainer? If so, can you share some details on areas you are working on?

Well, mind trainer, I would say no. But I do a bit of meditation myself and it’s basically within you. You have to motivate yourself and stay positive, I think that’s the best thing you can do. I don’t have a particular mind trainer. Also, there are people to motivate me and support me always.

Are you happy with the preparation for the Tokyo Olympics — from a physical and mental perspective?

I’m really happy with the preparations for the Olympic Games and you know there is not much time, only a couple of months left. But also, before that I have a couple of tournaments. I am focusing on that. Mentally and physically I’m completely fine and fit. Definitely, I need to work more harder and I’m doing that.