New Delhi: PV Sindhu occupied the fourth court in the main hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday. At the other end, she had Ayush Shetty braced with his powerful smashes and blistering forehands. Sindhu broke into a smile the moment Ayush landed one of his big smashes into the net.A day later, she had Unnati Hooda, another debutant like Ayush, for company on the practice court. The court of choice remained the same as the day before, with instructions from coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama ringing in from the sidelines. Having tried plenty of deceptions and drop shots, she would step away briefly for a water break while keeping the conversations going.It was early morning, the clock reading 8 am, and the Indian contingent was out and about in full flow ahead of the BWF World Championships, which get underway on Monday. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, Ayush Shetty, Lakshya Sen and Hariharan Amsakarunan-MR Arjun were all on court, with the clock ticking down on the prestigious tournament.The limelight, however, remains firmly on ninth seed Sindhu. A five-time World Championships medallist, with one gold, two silvers and two bronzes, the 31-year-old still remains firmly in the mix for the title. If she does stand atop the podium next Sunday, she will eclipse Zhang Ning as the most decorated shuttler in the women’s singles category.
PV Sindhu spars with Ayush Shetty at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. (Photo: Tanuj Lakhina)
Form is also on her side. She won the Japan Open Super 750 in July while reaching the semi-finals in Australia and Malaysia and the quarter-finals in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. From World No. 13 at the start of the year, she has climbed four rungs to step inside the top 10.The biggest factor in this uptick in results has been a sharper focus on sports science and building the right team around herself. Wayne Lombard, who has worked with Indian athletes in hockey and boxing and with runner Jyothi Yarraji, helms the strength and conditioning group alongside physio Heera Mundluru and Shreyasi Sanjay.“It was very important for me to have a Sports Science team around me… in terms of the S&C and the physio. And of course the coach is always there. Wayne (Lombard) heads the strength and conditioning. And of course Heera (Mundluru) is my physio right now. And Shreyasi (Sanjay) looks after the S&C. So I think it’s very important that you build around that. Because sometimes your body is not at 100%. But you still push. And injuries just don’t tell you and come. It just happens,” she told the media on Sunday.
I think physically and mentally, it’s been quite good. I’m able to actually see the changes in terms of my game and my movement.
PV Sindhu
“Before that, what are the precautions that you take and how smartly you change? Because you have all these gadgets now to record your strain, how tired you are, or whether you can push yourself or not. So I think these are some metrics where you make sure and take precautions. So these are the small things that you change.“And I think that’s what helped me. I think physically and mentally, it’s been quite good. I’m able to actually see the changes in terms of my game and my movement. So I think I’m happy that it’s going in the right way,” she continued.PV Sindhu banking on experience to win sixth medalIt has, however, been seven years since Sindhu won a medal at the BWF World Championships. In that one-sided final, the Hyderabadi beat Nozomi Okuhara for her first gold medal after winning two bronze medals (2013, 2014) and two silvers (2017, 2018).
PV Sindhu
“In terms of the game and in terms of how you think and how you strategise,” she said when asked how PV Sindhu has evolved in the last seven years. “And altogether, the game, badminton as a sport itself, has changed, is what I feel. Earlier, women’s singles was more attacking and more of a faster-paced game. But now it’s more of long rallies and staying on court for a longer period of time. And, you know, the longer duration that you stay on court, so I think you need a lot of patience in terms of that.“But when you look back since then until now, yes, as a person, I think in terms of experience, there have been a lot of changes. And I feel now I’m much more experienced, irrespective of playing sport for a longer period of time. I think I’m definitely much more experienced in terms of how to deal on court.“Sometimes there is drift, sometimes how do you control the shuttle or, you know, it might not go according to you all the time. So, how do you change and make sure that is convenient for you? I think these are a few things that have changed in this period,” she continued.
I’ve played a lot of first-round matches where I had butterflies and there’s a lot of pressure. And I won’t deny that there is no pressure. There is pressure.
PV Sindhu
Even though a lot has changed since the first medal in Guangzhou in 2013, she admits that the hunger is the one constant. Despite 15 years of experience and two Olympic medals, she still gets butterflies in her stomach.“I’ve played a lot of first-round matches where I had butterflies and there’s a lot of pressure. And I won’t deny that there is no pressure. There is pressure. But at the same time, for me, there’s nothing to lose. And I just want to give my best because I know I have trained hard and I’ve worked hard in my training sessions,” she explained.“So I just have to go out there onto the court and just, like, just give that and just put my best out there, irrespective of whatever the result is,” she continued.
New Delhi, Aug 16 (ANI): Badminton player PV Sindhu speaks during a press conference at the BWF World Championship 2026 at Indira Gandhi Arena Stadium, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo/Naveen Sharma)
Tough drawEven though the 31-year-old went past Chen Yu Fei and Akane Yamaguchi on the way to the title in Japan, the draw isn’t the easiest at the BWF World Championships. After starting against Ireland’s Sophia Noble, the job gets tougher with Wang Zhi Yi on a collision course in the Round of 16. Zhi Yi has beaten Sindhu thrice this year. If she crosses that hurdle, there is a potential quarter-final against Putri Kusuma Wardani. The Indonesian beat Sindhu at last year’s World Championships.Top seed An Se-young stands on the opposite side of the draw, and they can meet in the semi-finals. The on-the-mend Korean holds a massive 10-0 head-to-head advantage over Sindhu.
The scoring system is going to be different. It is going to be very challenging. If it was 21 points, there is still time. Like, you are 0-7 down, you still have time to cover. Whereas in 15, if the seven points are done, almost the match is done.
PV Sindhu
As 24-year-old An Se-young stands well and truly above the rest, despite the injury, the field includes an even mix of veterans and youngsters. Among the 16 seeds, five are under 26 years old, while the rest are older. The 31-year-old Sindhu has seen many come and go, and she would soon see the game evolve into a 15-point format next year.“I think there is a younger generation who is coming up now in badminton and women’s singles especially. The scoring system is going to be different. It is going to be very challenging. If it was 21 points, there is still time. Like, you are 0-7 down, you still have time to cover.“Whereas in 15, if the seven points are done, almost the match is done. So it is going to be very challenging. And you need to be on your feet from point number one.“There might be some short rallies, quick rallies, fast rallies. So you have to adapt to it. And of course, I’m happy that I get to see a lot of changes in sport,” she finished.