A new year may usher hope for many but for some like the poster girl of badminton PV Sindhu, it can prove to be life-altering. India’s star badminton player is eyeing gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics after a series of setbacks including injuries and losses in tournaments last year. Even when she has met near-misses in her career, bagging a silver and bronze in games, people have called her out using terms like ‘final phobia’ as she couldn’t bag the gold. But never one to be bogged down by losses, trolls and criticism, Sindhu’s focus is only the future. And that’s exactly the point from where our long conversation begins. “From the time I earned my first medal in the 2016 Olympics to playing my second Olympics in 2020, I have been bombarded with expectations and pressures. I am expected to win a medal every time I play, but what probably people don’t understand is it’s not all that easy. It takes a lot of hard work, sweat and dedication to play and win; and sometimes, despite all the hard - work, things don’t work out. I felt the pressure mounting in the second Olympics. Now as I’m playing my third, I’m sure there are more expectations, but for me, it’s very important to remain focused and give my 100 per cent,” Sindhu begins to tell us. Shutting her ears to the noise around, the World No. 11 now targets a recovery at Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia to be held in a few days, starting February 13. Such matches are key for her to build confidence and gain back that inner strength to eye gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. So when the stakes are high, how’s she going to turn the tide? Talking about staying resilient in one of the most difficult phases of her career, the five-time world champion says, “I tell myself to keep giving my best and not think about anything else. When I go to the court, I just play my game, that’s how the mindset should be. Of course, people would want me to win, always; that’s a responsibility I can’t shirk but shoulder.”
Sindhu definitely is now super focused as she has gone missing from Instagram, where the world saw a different side of her — dancing to viral songs, making cute videos, playing dress up and sharing adorable pictures with her family, especially her nephew. Again, not one to shy away from saying what she likes and what she does not, Sindhu tells us, “I love fashion and dressing up, although people have mostly seen me in a sports’ attires because I am usually on the court or training! But I just love dressing up! Of course, what I put together depends on the occasion and company. If it’s a wedding I am attending, then I love to wear my traditional Indian clothes but for any other casual events or outings, I prefer a nice dress. For me, the bottom line is comfort although I don’t mind trying new styles and outfits and basically experimenting.”
Coming back to the year that saw the badminton star out of form and strained with injuries, we ask her what kept her going, and she says, “Injuries are part of a sports person’s life. They are just like the many ups and downs that life throws at you as you journey along. Despite the lows, I know I have to come back stronger; I know I have that self-belief, which is very important. Like anyone else, sometimes, I can be very upset with what is happening in life, but at the end of the day, I have to weather the storm. In 2024, I need to look to the future and see what needs to be done rather than look at what has already happened, which I anyway cannot change. What I can do instead is better myself and come back stronger to the court.”
As someone who has been playing badminton since a very young age, Sindhu sure has a mechanism in place to deal with all the anxiety that a match can bring. “ Everybody feels anxious when you’re playing a match; more so when it is a crucial one, and also just one day before the match. The pressure from myself is always there because I want to win every point and sometimes, it may not happen. Sometimes during the match, you tend to lose points and get anxious but that’s when it’s important to tell yourself to stay calm and just keep going,” Sindhu says, adding as an after-thought, “At times, you can’t understand what’s going on in the court! There aren’t always easy sets to decipher, but I remind myself to take time, have a quick little chat with myself and play every point.”
As our conversation veers more towards having a strong mindset in the midst of all the odds that could result in a breakdown, we try to understand if she has to bottle things up, emotionally. “ Well, emotions are emotions, you can’t stop them,” she says, and we can’t agree more. “Sometimes, you show it (emotions) on the field when you absolutely have no control over it; at other times, you don’t. But I feel one should understand it’s a game where one person loses and another wins. All I do is learn from my mistakes. I don’t think one needs to hide their emotions because we are all individuals who have their own way of expressing. People should feel free to be who they want to be in that moment,” she adds. It also helps that Sindhu loves music, as that’s her way of unwinding, especially after back-to-back tournaments. “I like listening to music and going for a walk whenever I am done with my schedule of matches. Jogging and walking make me happy. When I come back home, I spend time with my family and my dog,” she shares, as she continues, “ When I am in my city (Hyderabad), I like to stay at home. I love devouring home-cooked food prepared by my mother because I cherish it even more since I have to usually eat outside due to work. As a family, we rarely go out for dinner, but when we do, I like gorging on biryani, Chinese, Thai and Italian. A lot of times we mostly have to pack food and take home because when you’re out, there is very little privacy and people want to get clicked with me (smiles).” By now, we are already running out of time as Sindhu has to go back to practice.
Before we let her go though, we ask her, with lots of brand endorsements, how does she ensure that her brand image does not over-power her game? “ When you do well, your name is there on the billboard. Lots of sponsors come forward to sign you and of course, it gives you some level of motivation and support. It does feel good. But as an individual, I feel, we should not forget our core job. We have to keep playing, not thinking that we have got everything now and we are number one or on the top! My parents always taught me that no matter how much you achieve, do not forget where you come from, which has humbled me,” she shares, and adds, “ When you get those sponsors supporting you or making you a brand ambassador, that’s good but at the same time, you ought to prove yourself with your game. In fact, irrespective of whether brands sign you up or not, you have to stay focused. And that’s what I am doing.”
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