City
Epaper

Sindhu still our best bet, crammed schedule problem: Gopi

By IANS | Updated: November 12, 2019 21:40 IST

Badminton head coach Pullela Gopichand on Tuesday backed P.V. Sindhu to fire when it matters, while also blaming the crammed schedule making life difficult for shuttlers as there is Olympic qualification at stake also besides taking part in the mandatory meets.

Open in App

Since winning the World Championship, Sindhu has not been at her best.

"Ideally, Sindhu should have rested but world badminton makes it mandatory for you to play all the 1000s, 750s and 500s. So we almost end up playing 14-15 tournaments which are mandatory," Gopichand said.

"She's our best bet going into the big tournaments. This is what happened last year as well. She did not have a great result in October, November and in December at the year-end she beat everybody. So I'm confident that she'll make a comeback quickly," he said.

"There is no respite. You are actually playing way too many tournaments. If you look at world badminton, a number of players have withdrawn from Tai (Tzu Ying) to Carolina Marin," Gopichand said here.

The coach also heaped praise on doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who bagged the BWF Super 500 badminton tournament after they clinched the Thailand Open in August. "Satwik and Chirag have really been stars. They played very well and have started to look threatening and consistent at the highest stage. It comes well with getting into the Olympics with this form and it is something that I would be very happy about."

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: SindhuGopichandChirag ShettySatwiksairaj RankireddyIans
Open in App

Related Stories

TechnologyCaptain Gopichand Thotakura Becomes 1st Indian to Space Aboard Blue Origin (Watch Videos)

BusinessAdani Media Arm Likely to Acquire Stake in Zee After Sony Merger Fallout: Report

BadmintonIndia Open 2024 Final: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty Lose to Korean Duo in Men's Doubles

BadmintonIndia Open Super 750 Final: China's Shi Yu Qi Wins Men's Singles Title in New Delhi

BusinessAdani Group acquires majority stake in news agency IANS

Other Sports Realted Stories

Other SportsIPL 2025: Rain has final say as KKR, PBKS share points in abandoned clash at Eden Gardens

Other SportsGI-PKL 2025: Punjabi Tigers, Marathi Vultures, Tamil Lions and Bhojpuri Leopards reach men's semis

Other SportsShambhavi Kshirsagar takes double gold at 23rd Kumar Surendra Singh Memorial Shooting Championship

Other SportsAbhishek Nayar, Paras Mhambrey join T20 Mumbai League as mentors

Other SportsTheegala and Rai move into Top-10 at Zurich Classic