Making history. Smashing records. But still humble and of calm demeanour. None other than our pride, the jewel in the crown of Indian Badminton, Srikanth Kidambi.
How do you react when you join the select few to have four or more Super Series titles to your name in a season? If you ask the 24-year-old shuttler from Guntur, he would most certainly leave you awestruck with only a warm, radiating smile and not much celebration or boasting.
Emulating his idol, Roger Federer, Srikanth said that he derives the ability of keeping his head on his shoulders from the Swiss legend.
For a sportsperson, a win is like an emollient that soothes out the pain of all the grueling efforts that go in the making of a victory. It is these bottled up emotions that fizz out when a match point is conquered. For some it manifests by a loud roar, a tightly clasped fist pump, throwing away the racket in glee or simply going down on the knees with moist eyes.
For Kidambi Srikanth, it only means raising the arms aloft and glancing at his fans, thanking them for support with silent gestures devoid of lengthy expressions.
From the Srikanth of the gone-by days who did not take his exercise or diet regime so seriously or would let out emotions on court, here's a brand new star in contrast to the one before. He, who has learnt to conquer the demons in the mind. He who stays poised in victory and gracious in defeat.
How else can one otherwise explain the sudden resurgence after that excruciatingly painful loss at Glasgow in the quarter-finals at the hands of the Korean star Son Wan Ho?
Letting that opportunity slip off also meant an addition to the woes of a 34-year-old famish for a medal in men's singles on that illustrious World Stage.
Srikanth did not let that loss overwhelm him. Picking up himself, he embarked on a journey, the one which was destined to take him near the zenith and how.
In every post match interview, the ace shuttler confesses that he barely thinks of the rankings or the accolades. Having learnt to focus on the bulls eye, Srikanth believes in just the present moment on court and about how to tackle the opponent.
After that defeat in August at Glasgow, Kidambi has lost only one match which was at the hands of World Champion Victor Axelson in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open. It's been a fascinating run since then. Srikanth conquered his second consecutive Super Series title and a fourth in this year in Paris at the French Open on Sunday defeating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto in straight games.
This win placed Srikanth among the only other three players to have four or more Super Series titles in a single calendar year. The Great Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei and the two time World champion Chen Long are those beside whom Srikanth's name shall be fondly written in letters of gold in the pages of badminton history.
India's darling Saina Nehwal was the only one with three Super Series titles whom Srikanth has managed to outmanoeuvre.
I am no analyst, but an ardent sports fan who loves watching her favourite stars and observing how these players manage to deal with failures and find new ways of keeping the fire within burning. In this passion of mine, I discovered the three things that have transformed Srikanth Kidambi into the World no 2.
What Propelled Srikanth to the Zenith
- Handling Pressure Situations
Fans were almost sunk in a deja-vu when Srikanth came face-to-face with World Champions Axelson at the Denmark Open last week. But we were taken by surprise when Srikanth portrayed a gutsy composure of patience and determination. The Dane, who was looking so comfortable on his home soil, clinched the first game 21-14.
Trust me, it felt as if the ghosts of Glasgow were almost here. But it was not to happen. Srikanth looked as if he suddenly had found an exorcist to wean out the scare. He quickly found his feet in the second game.
Longer rallies and our star was soaking in the tensed situations with renewed armory. Taking the second game 22-20, Srikanth was mighty successful in squeezing out every ounce of the Dane's energy and confidence. This was completely evident in the third that was almost like a cakewalk. A 21-7 in the decider for Kidambi sealed Axelson's fate who was sent packing.
The quarter-finals of the French Open was also a testimony of this trait, of keeping calm in tensed moments. Taking on the defending Champion Shi Yuqi of China, the first game loss was a very scary scenario. 21-8 in favour of the opponent was something that could subdue even the greatest in low spirits and steal confidence. But for Srikanth it was a test that he took and won with finesse. Staying cool, holding his nerves, the second game 21-19 came into his bag and also the decider that was lightning quick 21-9 which gave him the match.
The impending all-Indian semis against compatriot HS Prannoy also brought forth his super cool attitude. Losing the first set 14-21 and then trailing in the second too, he did not loose his composure. Srikanth gathered himself and won four straight points to take it to a decider. The remarkable revival in the third game gifted Srikanth a fifth Super Series final of the season.
- Working on Fitness
Srikanth has credited his fitness to his grueling training sessions in the past 10 months. Moving from shorter training sessions to longer ones has worked wonders for our star shuttler. Under the watchful eyes of the Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo – known for coaching Former world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat – Srikanth has been scaling higher fitness levels and being helped in gaining stamina and endurance.
Sudhakar Reddy – Kidambi's former coach before he stepped into the Gopichand Academy – was also happy with the transformation in his student. “It's a welcome sight to see Srikanth, who never gave due importance to diet, do the right things today,” said Reddy in an interview.
Srikanth confesses that there are phases when he is too lazy to report for training at the academy but the hunger to conquer new heights works as a driving force.
- Endurance to Injuries & Tough Losses
Almost five years since Srikanth's career took flight, the Indian shuttler has had his share of good and the not so good. Succumbing to Lin Dan at the quarter-finals of Olympics subdued the Guntur boy into distress, so much so that he decided to seek solace into the warmth of family and home. The painful ankle injury that followed during the Korea Open in 2016 added to the woes even more forcing him to stay away from the court for almost four months.
Inspite of being confined to rest, Srikanth gathered his spirits and began training slowly and steadily.
This was possible with the all round support from his coach Gopichand and his family who helped him step on the court again.
Extreme pain often teaches an individual to remain patient. Like they say, some lessons come the hard way and so it did to Srikanth. It has transformed him into a more mature, patient and a humble athlete whom we all adore.
I recollect reading about that scary incident in the life of Srikanth which was almost bent on swallowing him. In the year of 2014, a rare "brain fever" was threatening to take the better of the lad. Enduring the same, it was a long journey of complete recuperation. Am somehow convinced that it takes extreme mental strength to conquer hindrances like these.
Few like the world no 2, Srikanth Kidambi tame these roadblocks and take life and challenges head on to reach newer heights of sporting glory.
(This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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