National Games good exposure for youngsters: Sindhu

PV Sindhu couldn't participate in the National Games due to an injury but she was there, soaking in the atmosphere, encouraging youngsters, and also enjoying the dandiya beats in the Navratri festivities in Gujarat. The two-time Olympic medallist believes the National Games, organised after seven years, is a big opportunity for a lot of youngsters to graduate to a higher level.

“It was unfortunate that I could not play. When I was going around, I was actually very eager to enter the court and play. It was really nice to see the National Games back again after so many years. It got postponed due to the pandemic. Participating itself is a big thing. These Games will give an opportunity and confidence to so many players to step up,” Sindhu said during an interaction.

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“These Games provide a completely different atmosphere where we all get together and play. A lot of young players are playing for the first time and to compete against the likes of HS Prannoy, Sai Praneeth, Chirag (Shetty) they will experience the next level. They will learn so much from them and get encouragement.”

Sindhu visited the venues in Ahmedabad and Surat, where badminton was being held at the PDDU Indoor Stadium.

“The infrastructure is of international standard. If you talk about the badminton stadium, it is world-class – be it the lights inside the hall, the seating area, the courts – it is a really good facility, " she said.

“It was amazing to see the Games being organised in such a short span -- having it in multiple cities using existing infrastructure, and players given top class facilities in terms of accommodation and making them feel comfortable. I enjoyed dancing in garba festivities,” she laughed.

Injury return

Sindhu said she has almost recovered from the stress fracture on her left foot and would be back on court soon. She would, however, give the Denmark Open and Paris Open a miss this month,

“The injury was such that if I had played it could have got worse. I did not realize it was so serious at the Commonwealth Games. I played from the quarter-final onwards with a lot of pain but I wanted to win the gold. I had bronze and silver. After coming back, the MRI scan showed a hairline fracture. I have almost recovered now and will be back to the court soon.”

With three tour titles this year and the CWG gold, Sindhu was looking forward to playing in her favourite tournament -- the World Championships --- where she has five medals including the world title in 2019. Though she did not compete, she kept a close eye on her competitors, especially Akane Yamaguchi who has now won two back-to-back world championships.

“She plays differently against each player and she is really playing at a high level. You see Yamaguchi beating a player of the caliber of An Se-young comfortably while she might struggle against some other players,” Sindhu says, pointing to the depth in women’s badminton. “I have better head-to-head (14-9) against Yamaguchi.”

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