Gopichand: “Srikanth Could’ve Won More, Saina’s Return Was Smooth”

Video Editor: Puneet Bhatia

He was court-side when Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in badminton in 2012. He was at PV Sindhu’s side when she celebrated her Olympic silver at Rio in 2016.

This year though, Pullela Gopichand has tasted even greater success, with his wards in the men’s circuit stepping up and winning regular laurels on the tour as well.

As things stand, India now boasts two players in the top 10 of women’s world rankings and four men’s players in the world’s top 20. Between Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Sai Praneeth, India won seven Super Series titles and two World Championships medals this year.

However, Pullela Gopichand feels this number should have been higher. The Indian badminton coach sat down with The Quint to share his thoughts on his wards, and the year so far.

From being out of action with an injury just 12 months back, Kidambi Srikanth has returned to win four massive titles and also climbed to a career-high world number 2. What do you make of his breakthrough season?

The conditions in which he played the tournaments, he could have won 1 or 2 more Super Series titles. That is very encouraging and at times scary, the potential that he has, I hope he realises that. What he has achieved this year, in my book, is probably a little under what he can achieve. That sounds strange but it is the reality for me. I hope he continues to work on his weaknesses and he continues to put his physical and mental 100 percent forward each time and a lot more is possible for his ability. He is one of the smarter guys on court. What we’ve seen is just a fraction and he’s capable of a lot more.

Twice he won titles in consecutive events. Was there any point where you were a little taken aback yourself at how ruthless Srikanth has been this season?

I wouldn’t say that. I definitely feel that the four tournaments he won belonged to him. He had to win those. There is no way he should have lost those tournaments.

PV Sindhu has had another great year. A silver at the World Championships and 2 Super Series titles, and she’s just 22. Happy with the season she’s had?

It’s been a good year. World Championships and then the Korea Open and then India Open. I think’s she’s done well. I think where she is today, is fantastic. Sindhu is a bit inconsistent, but I guess at the end of the day, it is important to understand that if you have an Olympic medal, 3 World Championship medals, an Asian Games medal and CWG medals, and are inconsistent, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how many events she has won. She’s won quite a few and I’m very happy with the way she has progressed. To come off the back of an Olympic final year and have another great year is amazing.

Saina Nehwal gave everyone a scare last season when she was struggling with an injury and she hinted that she may give retirement a thought. However, she returned to the circuit in 2017 and won a bronze in Glasgow. Do you, like her fans, also believe she has more years of badminton left?

I think she is one of the most motivated athletes I have seen. She has a phenomenal drive to do well and keep pushing. Great energy to work with and I’m sure she has a few more years of badminton left in her.

2017 also gave us the big reunion Indian badminton fans had been hoping for. Saina returned to the Gopichand academy. What has the transition been like?

It has been pretty smooth. She is someone who has spent many years here. From almost 2004 to 2014, 10 years she spent here. It is good to see her motivated. Good to see she has beaten Carolina Marin again. She has come back and had some good wins. There are a few areas in her game which need work. Hopefully, in the coming year, we will sort these issues out. With an ongoing circuit, we don’t have the luxury of time to actually back off, train properly and get back onto the circuit. Although that would have been an ideal scenario, we don’t have that luxury.

The country now knows about Kidambi Srikanth because, well, it’s impossible to ignore such massive achievements. But HS Prannoy too has really stepped up his game this year. You think 2018 will be his year?

I think a world number 10, who has beaten Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Chen Long consistently, only Srikanth’s super performance could have eclipsed what Prannoy has done. In another year, Prannoy would have been a star and Srikanth actually spoiled the party for him, in a way, because he’s raised the bar even higher. Prannoy is capable of big things and yes, there are a few issues related to injury and fitness which seem to be causes of concern. When we are able to sort those out, I think he is somebody who could be consistently good for us.

The next big event in India is the Premiere Badminton League that starts on 23 November in Guwahati. As a coach, how do you divide your time between players since they’re competing? Or is that a complete ‘no-coach’ time?

That is definitely a ‘no-coach’ time. It is almost like an unsaid rule that nobody talks about the match before the match. My text messages, if any, are standard messages. Warm up well, stretch well, ensure whoever wins, wins the next match as well. It is definitely a ‘no-coach’ match.

Before the PBL though, Pullela Gopichand and his wards have one more event to compete in – the season-ending BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Dubai starting 13 December.

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