PV Sindhu Enters Badminton Quarterfinals At Tokyo Olympics

‘She plays good badminton and I have played with her and seen her game,’ says the champ as she also speaks about the nation’s expectations of her, the role of domestic leagues and her future plans
Sunayana Suresh (BOMBAY TIMES; June 12, 2022)

Badminton champ P V Sindhu has two Olympic medals to her credit and has the nation rooting for her third one in the next edition of the games in Paris. In a chat with us, Sindhu spoke about how she stays focussed and also shared her desire to see Deepika Padukone play her on the big screen if there was a film made on her...

The past couple of years have been bittersweet. What have you learnt most from that time?
There have been times when there were career lows and situations where I had a loss between a winning streak, but I always took it in a positive way. Even though I may have been upset at that moment, I ensure I come out of that phase quickly, learn from my mistakes and come back stronger. I have always been doing that. I am most thankful to my parents as they have always been there, constantly reassuring me that there is always a next time. This has helped me a lot as they are sportspersons themselves and have that experience. I am lucky to have parents like that. Of course, when you win, you forget everything, the hard work and all that. But life is such that you have ups and downs.

You have a busy schedule ahead, including the Commonwealth games. How are the preparations?
Right now, there are a couple of tournaments leading to the Commonwealth Games, which makes it five weeks of back-to-back action. I am hoping to stay injury-free. I am looking forward to everything. Mental strength and physical strength are both important here.

Do you have a mantra to ensure your mental strength in this competitive game?
There may be situations when you have a winning streak and then, you lose. Your mind goes blank and you may not know what to do. You can get angry and annoyed with yourself. Those are situations where you have to keep mentally calm. I have been practising that. We always want to win, but that is not always the case. I have been practising for that mental strength as there are times when your opponent tries to distract you. However, physical fitness can never be overlooked. I train every day. We need to work on both mental and physical strengths.

People are already speculating about your next medal in the Olympics...
There is time for the next Olympics, but I know people have been rooting for me to get a medal in Paris as well, after Tokyo. It is good that they expect that. There is a lot of responsibility and pressure, but I want to take one tournament at a time. This year’s schedule is really busy. Let’s hope for the best and that I can live up to their expectations.

You lend your name and support to domestic leagues like the one in Karnataka. Tell us what you see these leagues translate into...
Domestic leagues will inspire many from the grassroots to take up the sport. It is an honour to be a part of such leagues as being an international badminton player and inspiring people as brand ambassador gives me the chance to support a lot more players. I am 100 per cent sure this will help to bring a lot more players to the international standard, with many other top players being a part of the league too.

If a film were to be made on your life, what do you think it should convey?
If a film is made on me, it should be inspiring and get a lot of youngsters to see what it takes to become a champion. It is not just a couple of months, it takes many years to come up to that level. But I would love Deepika Padukone to act in that biopic. She plays good badminton and I have played with her and seen her game. Her father is the legendary Prakash Padukone sir. It would be great if she could do that.