She may not have won any major national title so far, but coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand sees 17-year-old Kudaravalli Srikrishna Priya as a promise for the future. And representing India at the Dutch and German Open championships later this month could just be her first step into the future.
The second-year Intermediate student of commerce at St. Ann’s College, Mehdipatnam has always made it to the last eight or four in all important events, and is ranked No. 3 in the under-19 and No. 15 in women’s categories respectively.
“I feel it a great honour and a huge challenge to take part in the two European majors. Definitely, it should not only be a huge learning curve but also give me a feel of where exactly I stand,” says Srikrishna Srikrishna Priya, whose first coach was Mohd. Ali (Kukatpally).
This young shuttler, who adores five-time world champion Lin Dan for all his rich range of strokes, says her strong points are the drops and the defence. “I am working really hard to be more aggressive too,” she says.
“Yes, I am still in search of a major title [win] and I am sure that is not too far now as I am gaining in experience and confidence with each event,” explains the shuttler. Srikrishna’s parents – K. Srinivas and Madhavi – are also keen to let their daughter pursue her passion in badminton.
What are her big goals? “To represent India at the Olympics,” she says.
