‘My target is Rio 2016'

Jwala Gutta, who has taken a break from badminton, tells G Krishnan that she sees herself doing well in the future. Excerpts:

What forced you to take a break?
I have been playing non-stop. There has been a lot of pressure on me, mentally and physically. Even though I play doubles and mixed doubles, the pressure was all on me. It has been so long since I have taken a break. I have never had time for myself. Now that Olympics is over, I felt that I needed to give some time for myself.

What kind of pressure were you facing?
All sorts. I have been in the limelight. Even though I attend press conferences with my partners, all the questions are shot at me. That is one kind of pressure. Being the experienced player of the lot, I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders.

When will we see you back?
My target is to play Rio Games, 2016. I am not thinking too much, not planning too much. Just be off for sometime till I feel good. Just wait and watch, you shall see me back on
the court.

Do you remember the last time you took a similar break?
I don’t remember at all. As long as I remember, I started playing at four. Since then, I have not taken a break. It has been 24 years since I have been in this sport. It is high time I gave myself a personal time, it will be good for me and for the game.
Diju said he’ll wait for you to come back to play mixed doubles.

One thing I have learnt is that ranking doesn’t really matter. When Diju was injured, we were ranked in the mid-50s in August 2011. We bounced back to qualify for the Olympics. Only performance matters. We have had a lot of experience and we don’t really need that kind of exposure trips like how we used to need before. We have grown up. Just that we need to be fitter.
You seem to have told Ashwini Ponnappa to look for different partner.

Naturally. She is young, has started playing before CWG 2010. I have been playing internationally since 2001-02. She has got a lot of scope to improve. I have discussed with her, she agrees with me. We understand each other’s priority. I am her senior and she respects that. She knows that whatever I say would be for her benefit. I’d tell her to continue playing with whoever she gets an opportunity with, even if she is a junior player. Playing with Ashwini, I have learnt a lot and she can also benefit from juniors. She can take charge, she will become more mature.

Will we see Ashwini-Jwala pair again?
Definitely. If you ask anybody, which women’s doubles pair they’d like to see play, not many will have a lot of names. It is just Ashwini and me. I don’t want to disappoint
anyone.

Ashwini said some good things and bad things happened in Olympics, but did not elaborate. What happened?
There was a lot of miscommunication. We were not informed about the points. It would have been good if we were there as a team. I cannot really observe who we were playing, who my opponents were. All that was supposed to have been done by someone else. That did not happen. I don’t know who is responsible to inform us. Me being a player, I need to focus on my game. I cannot be sitting in my room and be on the internet 24x7 or 10 hours at a stretch to know who is winning or who is losing. The support staff do all the analysing. That did not happen. But I have learnt from this. Next time, if something like this happens, I know what to do and what not
to do.

Does it still hurt that you did not win an Olympic medal?
I was hurt at that time. It hurts me to a certain extent that we were not informed. You can imagine the kind of pressure we were under. Playing in such pressure, we came back victorious. I came this close in Olympics. I would like to try in another Olympics. I am confident. Touch wood, I remain injury-free. I am a very strong person.

How difficult is it to come back from a break?
I don’t think it will be very difficult. There are so many who have made great comebacks. Kim Clijsters is an example. Our own Mary Kom is such a great example, she has come back to win an Olympic bronze medal after giving birth to twins. We have had so many players who have peaked in the 30s. I definitely see myself doing well in the future.