PV Sindhu 2.0: How a long break from sport made India's ace shuttler calmer and stronger
Malaysia for her comeback tournament. PV Sindhu was silently confident about her return to competitive badminton having put in the hard yards all of January 2024. For any sportsperson, a comeback from injury is always the most difficult challenge of all.
It is because the mind and the body aren’t in sync. For Sindhu her court coverage has always been her strength thanks to her height and build. And that’s where she wasn’t at her best.
Physically she wasn’t fully there and it meant while her mind was fully focussed on court and ready to retrieve the shuttle, her body wasn’t allowing her to do so. Clearly, she was getting frustrated. The long break helped, for she needed to go back and recalibrate.
Going to Prakash Padukone was a good move and a new support unit helped her get back the calm Sindhu needed as she approached the home stretch ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In Malaysia she has looked good. Her court coverage has been excellent and she has looked far more attacking than in her recent outings. Winning is a habit and there is little debate that Sindhu is gradually getting back into rhythm.
A caveat is important here.
Sindhu is still not near her best and women’s badminton royalty now involves Tai-Tzu Ying, Chen Yu Fei, An Se Young and to an extent Akane Yamaguchi. To be able to beat any one of them will involve a lot more and Sindhu is aware of the difficulties involved. But then we are speaking about the Olympics.
The biggest stage of all where form and skill aren’t the only things that make a difference. The name “Olympics” is the difference and only the strong survive. That’s where Sindhu, fully fit, is special.
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