THE DOUBLES IN BADMINTON IS LIKE WATCHING A SPORTING PAS DE DEUX, but not one with too much time for slow-moving elegance: this is the part of ballet that involves leaps, pirouettes, rapid exchanges at the net, fast smashes, unbelievable retrievals and spatial awareness between the partners. As a men's doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have all that, but what they also bring to the court is a distinct swagger. To describe themselves, though, they dipped into tennis. "I like Federer; he likes Nadal. Sometimes when we both come together, it's Djokovic," said Satwiksairaj, while speaking to INDIA TODAY before the Asian Games in September 2023. That expressed more than just honest admiration of their favourite stars. It spoke to how they work so telepathically as to almost become one organismic unit.
This story is from the January 08, 2024 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the January 08, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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