The China Open Super Series title reaffirms that Sindhu is well on her way to becoming the gold standard of Indian badminton
Since her Rio Olympics silver medal-winning performance , P.V. Sindhu has been a celebrity. The days after her return from Brazil were hectic in a different way—promotional events and award functions kept the new badminton queen busy—and she was getting used to the limelight. But despite all this, her coach and mentor, Pullela Gopichand, made sure that she didn’t miss training. This made the difference and results started showing within weeks—her strokes were sharper and defence stronger.
Re-focusing on the court after living her biggest dream—an Olympic medal, the goal of every sportsperson—was difficult but Sindhu’s determination and hunger to win produced the boost to capture her first Super Series title in Fuzhou, China.
“Post-Olympics, I had been travelling a lot but I got back to training very soon. The Rio medal was just the start and I know there’s a long way to go. I had Super Series events linedup and I wanted to do well in those tournaments. So I tried not to miss my training,” Sindhu told Sports Illustrated India.
Gopichand says Sindhu’s determination and hard work have been impressive and these qualities have been her forté. “We had some good sessions whenever we managed to and I would credit Sindhu for the energy and focus she has, and her parents for ensuring that she remained grounded and she kept pushing,” the 43-year-old coach added.
The title came in Sindhu’s second final of a Super Series event—she had been the losing finalist at the Denmark Open last year.
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Sports Illustrated India.
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This story is from the December 2016 edition of Sports Illustrated India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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