World No.1, aiming for that: PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu is currently one of the most sought after sporting icons in the country. There are no prizes for guessing why. She became the toast of the nation bagging silver at the Rio Olympics.

With the year coming to an end, Sindhu is still basking in glory of her exploits at the mega event. Ask her about the year and the reply is predictable. “Fantastic,” she says. Not just the historical silver medal, Sindhu also claimed her first Super Series title recently by winning the China Open.

“It was a fantastic year. Getting a silver medal at the Olympics was a dream come true. Wanted to win Super Series title that was also fulfilled. It was fantastic,” she said at the launch of Quest for Excellence with Pulella Gopicand, initiated by IDBI General.

The 21-year-old Hyderabadi also achieved her career best rankings of No. 6 recently. Her aim is to be at the top in 2017. 

“Definitely. World No.1, aiming for that. Got my career best ranking and am very happy for that. I will be taking one step at a time. I hope to be No. 1 in the future,” Sindhu said.

Sindhu gave the credit to the hard work that she put to fetch the Olympic medal. “I can tell, it all depends on the hard work and the practice sessions that we do. It was different before the Olympics, had worked really hard. Life has changed a lot, the strategies are different, have lots of confidence and have kept myself motivating all the time,” she said.

The youngster knows the challenge of staying at the top. “I moved forward and its just a start, there is more way to go. The responsibility is higher now and maintaining that level is a different work altogether after coming to that stage,” she said.

And how does she plan to deal with the pressure that comes along with expectations? “There is nothing like pressure, but giving your best and enjoy playing. If I keep the pressure and think about winning it will add much more pressure. And think about things like people will think you have to give your best. It will be more about enjoying,” she said.

Asked if she has changed her strategies after the medal at Olympics, she said: “Not after medal win, but from before. Each player has different style of play, stroke and game style. We play different style and change our strategy when it is needed. It depends one each point if that may not work out. 

“The coach is sitting behind you and knows what’s happening and the changes required in the thinking process. It has changed a lot, coming to that point when you play that match win or lose, doesn’t matter. You never know anything can happen, it can just change,” she said.