Hyderabad: World Champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu on Monday said she used the "wrong strategy" against Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin which led to her defeat in the women's singles final of Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland, but is happy "to make a comeback" after "rectifying her mistakes" that led to early exits in the Thailand Open events.
In an exclusive interview with Etv Bharat, the Olympic silver medallist talked about Thailand Open, preparations for All England Championships, training in times of Covid, and her decision to practice in Gachibowli Stadium ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Excerpts:
Q. Are you satisfied with your performance in the Swiss Open?
A. I am happy that I played the finals, but at the same time not happy with the result. A lot to learn, and also good that I played the finals and came back stronger. Overall, I think I used the wrong strategy and it didn't work out well for me but I learned a lot from that match.
Q. What led to early exits in the last few tournaments and what changed this time? Any tweaks or adjustments in technique?
A. Back in Thailand, I was not up to the mark but it was really important for me to make a comeback and rectify my mistakes. It was very important. Coming to the finals and playing the finals is definitely a good thing because I have learnt after Thailand. I have learnt from my mistakes and I came back stronger. So definitely I worked on everything -- it can be technique, strategy or it can be anything. So that win or that match or that tournament in the Swiss Open was important for me.
Q. Has Corona-forced lockdown affected your game in any way?
A. I don't think it has affected my game because I was training at home and it was fine. After lockdown, it took some time for me to make a comeback. We were happy to be back on court and everything was fine.
Q. Tell us what is it like to face Carolina Marin? In the match, her movement on court was fast, smashes were spot on and drops caressed with perfection... like the last winning shot she played against you.
A. Carolina Marin is an aggressive player and she is playing well. It was her day. She is not an easy player. She is very aggressive. We had to be ready for everything -- drops or smashes. I think I used the wrong strategy but the next time I play against her, I would use the right strategy and it would be a different one.
Q. Throw some light on your preparations for the All England Championships. Do you think you will be entering the tournament with more confidence after your performance in Swiss Open?
A. I am playing in Zurich right now. After the Swiss Open, we couldn't have the German Open. We just stayed here in Zurich and trained for a week and will now be going to the All England Championships. Overall, definitely yes, preparations wise everything is going on well. All set, all prepared, but I think it's very important to play and give your one hundred percent from the first round. You can't take it easy from the first round thinking she is a lower ranked player or an easy player or you can beat her or you have beaten her before. It's just that you have to be focussed all the time and give your hundred percent. And definitely, yes, a bit of confidence would be there after the Swiss Open but the tournament is over now and it's a fresh start for me in this tournament. It's just a new game because it is different all the time. Every player has their own strategy and they keep changing it and their game in every tournament. It is important that I think of it as a new start and give my hundred percent.
Q. What was it like to play in Basel again?
A. It was really nice as I played in the World Championships back then. It was good and nice to play in Basel again.
Q. What is it like training in London? Also, take us through your decision to practice in Gachibowli Stadium. Is it to replicate the experience of stadiums used in the Olympics Games?
A. I basically went for the GSSI (Gatorade Sports Science Institute) to train in London. It was very good and right time for me to go and do my body analysis because I didn't have any tournaments at that point of time. Everytime, it was a busy schedule and I didn't have much time. Now that I had enough time, I went. It's not a short process. It's a very long process. Body analysis is very important for an athlete and in every sport, in fact. I think it was all good. My decision to practice in Gachibowli stadium is really good. It was very much needed for me to train there. In fact, even earlier, I have asked a lot of times and I have trained there because not only the Tokyo Games but nowadays in every international tournament... the big stadiums and air conditioning stadiums are everywhere all around the world and wherever we go for a tournament. Playing in Gachibowli is extremely important and it was really good that I am training there. Also, it is very important before the Tokyo Games and all the games as a matter of fact -- Swiss Open or the All England Championships. International stadiums are as big as Gachibowli and it's important to get the feel of the shuttle and of big stadiums. In this process, Badminton Association of India (BAI) has really helped me. President and Secretary sir have really helped me and I would also like to thank the sports authorities, SAI and Telangana state government because they have been very helpful with my training in the Gachibowli stadium and approving that I can play there. They all have helped me in the process. It is really needed and it is helping me out because the speed of the shuttle and air conditioning definitely matters because whenever we go to different countries, we complain about losing because there was air conditioning or the shuttles were very fast, there was a lot of drift... I think this is the right place and I would definitely be playing there from now on. I have already been training there before Swiss. It has definitely helped me.
--Ayushmaan Pandey
