PARIS: PV Sindhu had a late evening practice at the Porte de la Chapelle on Wednesday. It got extended beyond the planned time and her meeting with the media at the mixed zone was delayed. She looked fresh and eager to talk when she finally came into the designated zone.An hour’s session with the physiotherapist would have surely helped her relax.
With just two days to go before the badminton competition begins, there were no sign of nerves. She started with the usual “Ï am excited”, and then talked about her preparations. “This is my third Olympic Games. It is a new feeling. A different feeling. I am in good shape… we will hope for the best,” Sindhu said and then confessed: “I’ll be honest that I want a medal here. I want this hat-trick.”
If that comes to pass, it will make her the first Indian to do so. She won a silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo. “I’m aware of that (the call of history) but there is no pressure. The draw will be hard, but I am confident. We have worked very hard. You will see that on the court,” she said.
So how has the journey been from Rio to here? “In Rio, I was a newcomer. Slightly raw, too excited. In Tokyo, there was no crowd due to the pandemic. It was strange playing inside empty stadiums. But having won a medal already, there was pressure, burden of expectations. Here, in Paris, there are mixed emotions, and I am ready. The experiences of the past have toughened me up.”
Sindhu said being the flag bearer is a proud feeling. “It’s a one-time opportunity, though I have the experience of the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games,” she said. Sindhu said that her training in Saarbrucken, Germany before coming to the Games village here was very relaxing, very ‘village’ like.
“This centre was in the middle of nowhere, away from the hustle and bustle of a city. The timing was good, the weather perfect. The feeling was like living in the Games Village. The whole badminton team was there. There were the boxers too. Really enjoyed the training sessions there.”
Asked whether she slept for two nights inside a hypoxia chamber, she said: “Yes, we tried it out to simulate altitude acclimatization.” On her sparring partners in Saarbrucken, Sindhu said that she had three different partners. “A left-hander, a rally player and an attacking player. Then, there was a Nigerian men’s team player who sparred with me.”
On her draw at Paris 2024, Sindhu said she felt the most important stage was the pre-quarterfinals. “Most probably China, a real tough one. Prakash (Padukone) sir has helped me prepare well. We have studied all likely opponents. I know most of their playing styles well.”
How differently has she prepared this time, having slipped out of the top-5 and not managing a big title win?
“I have worked on better shot making. There are longer rallies in women’s singles these days. I have worked on that too. The idea is to play smart. Just two days to go and I feel I am in the zone.”