View: If Sindhu had won Olympic gold at 21, what's left to aspire for?

By Pullela Gopichand

I always had a hunch that P V Sindhu would become a great shuttler. Those were the days (2004) when I had started training a few players. I knew Sindhu's parents Ramana and Vijaya as both were sportspersons like me.From 2005 she started attending training sessions regularly .
Observing her carefully, I thought she would be a tall player with long legs ­ like Tine Rasmussen, the All England champion then. I thought Sindhu could be like her in future. Then itself, I planned her style of game: she could attack well from the back and play parallel strokes effectively.

But her legs were not stable and finding the right balance was not going to be easy. So we started working on improving her strength and fitness. Till 2010, I thought she was on the right track. But then she struggled to win against Ruthvika Shivani in the under-15 junior national final. I decided to concentrate more on Sindhu, separated her from the group and told her to come at 4.30 am every day. Her parents were supportive. Ramana immediately agreed to bring Sindhu every morning. I asked them to shift closer to the academy from Secunderabad, which was 35km away, and made Vijaya quit her job. The 4.30 session continues to this day.Within a couple of years we got results. In 2012, Sindhu defeated Li Xuerui just weeks after the Chinese won Olympic gold. She also won two World Championship bronze medals and beat several top stars, but was a bit inconsistent. When she lost to small players, many people discouraged me saying I was wasting my time on Sindhu. But I was convinced she was destined for greater things.

Two months before the Olympics, she lost in the Australian Open. I made a careful study - her game was quite predictable, defence was a problem, and there were fitness issues. We had enough time to overcome these deficiencies. Having lost, Sindhu was more receptive to advice. She did not protest when I took away her phone. I was also careful with my own diet as I had to play a lot with her. I lost 6-7kg in those two months.

At Rio, the draw was a bit disappointing but we decided to take it match by match. I have no regrets that she missed the gold. I always take what God gives me. I also thought, what will she aspire for in future if she wins a gold at just 21?

The writer is former Indian badminton player and coach of P V Sindhu.
Disclaimer:Views expressed above are the author's own.