Q&A With Kidambi Srikanth

The ace badminton player is on a hot streak of form, having won consecutive Superseries titles in Indonesia and Australia.

- Alshaar Khan

It was sometime during the last week of June that I congratulated Kidambi Srikanth on his third Super Series badminton title win, in Indonesia, by which time he had already landed in Sydney for the Australia Super Series. Radiating an air of resolve, the second-most successful Indian shuttler (after Saina Nehwal) asked that we chat after the then-ongoing tournament, almost as if he was nursing the belief that he would repeat his Indonesia heroics Down Under as well. By the end of the week, he actually did it, in the process becoming the only Indian to clinch back-to-back Superseries titles, with a stunning straight game triumph over reigning Olympic champion and World No 6 Chen Long. I was finally able to get hold of the World No 11 once he arrived back home. With the same passion to succeed and a single-minded approach to badminton as the only way of life, the 24-year old still comes across as the determined player I first met some three years ago, when he had claimed his maiden Super Series title at the 2014 China Open. He remains shy off the court, and admits that he doesn’t have the time for anything other than badminton, when asked about his current relationship status. The Pullela Gopichand protégé also speaks about the role of his mentor in his career, and the impact of Mulyo Handoyo, the famous Indonesian coach.

How does it feel to become the first Indian to win back to-back titles?

It feels... I’m just very happy. I don’t really play for creating these records, but to win tournaments. And it’s not even about taking one tournament at a time; I prefer to take it one match at a time. 

What do you feel has contributed to this turnaround?