Q/ How do you view the historic feat of P.V. Sindhu and B. Sai Praneeth, who won a bronze in the men’s singles, at the World Championships?
A/ For me, their victory at Basel is an important milestone. For the last few years, Sindhu has won consistently at the highest level, but the gold at the World Championships and the Olympics have been missing from her cabinet. This medal is very special. Not only is it a huge achievement, but coming [as it does] a year before 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it is phenomenal.
Sai’s victory is another landmark because we did not have anybody winning a men’s single medal since Prakash Padukone sir’s win (bronze; Copenhagen, 1983) 36 years ago. This is definitely an important milestone in my career.
Q/ Was Sindhu’s close losses in finals becoming a matter of concern?
A/ Her losing a few finals before has been written about. But, from our perspective, when we won the silver [at the Olympics] we were not unhappy about the results. We tried to win and there was probably disappointment when we lost, but that in no way stopped us from enjoying the silver and bronze medals that we won.
Q/ How did Sindhu prepare for the World Championships?
A/ It was not like there was a special plan for the World Championships. We had three weeks after Thailand Open (Sindhu had pulled out) to prepare. Even before that in Indonesia and Japan, she had beaten (Nozomi) Okuhara and Chen Yu Fei convincingly. Here, she was more relaxed going into the finals. After a comfortable semifinal win, [she had time to] rest. And, that was important. In the previous two editions, we had late-night matches. [She did] not [get] enough rest before the finals. Here, she was relaxed. She played the final almost as an extension of the semifinal, which was a convincing victory.
Q/ What was the key to Sai’s victory?
A/ In the last one year, Sai has consistently worked hard. He has taken time off to train for tournaments and that has shown in his performances. In the tournaments in Japan and Thailand, he was one of the better performers in the Indian team. He fought hard [in Basel].... He played a level of badminton that is really good to see. He is somebody whose talent is more than physical; he is smart on court. He senses mistakes of opponents, areas where he can score points and consistently milks them. His hard work has helped him produce some good results.