Decoding Marin mania

Carolina Marin may not be setting the badminton court on fire in every tournament she enters in. Before she claimed her third World Championships title – a feat unheralded before by a women's singles player – on Sunday by beating India's PV Sindhu, the 25-year-old's only other title win this year came at the European Championships in her birth city Huelva in April.

In four of the other six tournaments in 2018, she did not go beyond the quarterfinals, lost in the semifinals in Malaysia Masters and exited in the first round in the Indonesia Open just before the World Championships.

Known to scream for every point won and even talk to herself before service to pep herself up, Marin has been a big-occasion player. And, she has proved it time and again, winning back-to-back World titles in 2014 and 2015 and the Olympic gold in 2016 before her latest triumph.

Marin, ranked eighth in the world, may not have entered the Nanjing Worlds as the pre-tournament favourite, but the manner in which she slayed one opponent after another, she became the player to beat.
For Marin, it is all about preparation for a particular major tournament: set her sights on a target and go all out towards winning it even if it means failures along the way in other tournaments that she has to participate to maintain her ranking in the top 10.

"I have been preparing for this moment for a long time," Marin said after her final victory.
"It's been really special to be the first player to win three World Championships. This is really special because I, Carolina Marin, came back and I will fight for my next target," she added.

The left-handed reigning Olympic champion has risen the benchmark for women's badminton in the world that has left a void between the top 8 or 10 players and the rest.
India's men's singles shuttler, Parupalli Kashyap, currently ranked 49th, has watched Marin from close quarters in the international circuit.

Kashyap told DNA from Hyderabad that Marin has set the lofty standards for women's badminton with her fitness, pace and attacking game.
Kashyap explained Marin's rise in stature: "This year, the way Carolina prepared and came to the tournament, she was head and shoulders above the rest. Every opponent of hers has to go and think how to beat Carolina. Carolina has changed the scene of women's singles along with world No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.

"The speed shown by Carolina has been outstanding. The women's fitness boundaries have been crossed. Players are fitter and leaner and playing at a higher level that was never even imagined before.
"With everything else, badminton changes over time. It has gained an unbelievable speed. And, Carolina has gone to a whole new level," Kashyap added.

Mindset change

Kashyap observed Marin's mindset from long before the tournament began.
"In the whole tournament, every opponent was blown away by Carolina's performance from the first round. She just was a different player from three weeks back (when she lost in first round in Indonesia Open). She was faster than others, more consistent and had a very nice plan for every match," Kashyap said.

In the five matches en route her gold, Marin dropped only one game, against Chinese He Bingjiao in the semifinal.
Kashyap analysed Marin's every round and said: "How do you beat this girl? She proved it every round. She never choked. She was on fire.

"In the second round (she received first round bye), she did not let the Thai player Busanan Ongbamrungphan score more than 10 points (won 9, 8). That showed that she was in excellent form.
"In the next round, she beat Japanese Sayaka Sato, to whom she lost in three games in Indonesia. She was very erratic in that loss. Though she played with the same speed, she made a lot of mistakes. Here, she was absolutely amazing, playing at a very high speed. very very consistent and not making mistakes.

"Then came Saina, who was totally blown away by Carolina. In the semifinals, He Bingjiao started very well, but once Carolina started getting good rhythm from second game, she put pressure and it kept increasing every rally.
"Whatever she has done in the last few months, it looked like she has been focussed on preparing for this event," he added.

Marin accepts that it will not be rosy all the time. But when she sets her mind on something, then there is no stopping her.
"It's impossible to be at the top every time. Sometimes a player has to go down and come back again. I feel really strong now, and really confident that I can win again," she said.

Indian badminton has its own role models in Saina and Sindhu, among women. But beyond the Indian shores, if there is one player youngsters would like to emulate, it is the energetic Marin.

'Win against Saina the best'

Carolina Marin singled out the quarterfinal win over Saina Nehwal as her best. It may have been a thorough demolition of the Indian with a 21-6 21-11 scoreline but for the Spaniard, that win was an example of how she prepared. "I think the match against Saina was one of my best of my career. It's not about how I play. It's about how I prepared and how I felt on court against her, about how I showed I wanted to beat her," Marin said.

Marin show in last 3 years

2018

* 2 titles: European and World Championships

* In 6 other tournaments, she finished semifinalist in Malaysia Masters, quarterfinalist in 4 (Indonesia Masters, India Open, All England, Malaysia Open) and lost in 1st round in Indonesia Open

2017

* 2 titles: Japan Open and European Championships

* Runners-up: Singapore Open, Malaysia Open, India Open, German Open (walkover)

In 8 other tournaments, best of semifinal in China Open

2016

* Winner: Olympics, European Championships

* In 9 other tournaments, best of semifinal in 4 tournaments -- All England, Indonesia Open, Denmark Open, Hong Kong Open

DID YOU KNOW?

The year 2015 has been Carolina Marin's best year. She won All England, Malaysia Open, Australian Open, World Championships, French Open, Hong Kong Open; finished runner-up in Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and German Open; and a semifinalist in India Open, Denmark Open, BWF World Superseries Finals