Badminton’s promising stars

Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri are emerging as the new talent in badminton

September 16, 2015 05:00 pm | Updated 05:00 pm IST

Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri

Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri

They have been silent performers for quite some time; never really getting the due they deserved.

So when shuttlers Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri won the Belgium International Challenge championship last week-end (they beat Polish duo of Adam Cwalina and Przemyslaw Wacha 22-20, 19-21, 22-20 in the final), it was yet another reminder of their growing stature as the premier doubles combination from India.

That they could overcome the disappointment of losing the first round of the last month’s World Championship shows that they are in the mood to keep moving ahead.Sumeeth and Attri had earlier this June finished runners-up in the US Open Grand Prix besides winning the Lagos title in June and also finishing runners-up in Gautmela International before the Belgium event.

For someone who started as a very promising singles player and even ranked No.1 by winning five of the seven finals at national level, Hyderabadi Sumeeth had to take the tough decision to shift to doubles in 2011 because of his back injury.

For most of the shuttlers faced with career-threatening injuries, there can be few bigger inspirational figures than the chief national coach and the former All England champion Pullela Gopichand. Under his tutelage, the 23-year-old Sumeeth has emerged as one of the strongest doubles players and Manu is now ranked World No. 21.

“We have a very good chemistry and know each other’s game and naturally play to our strong points. There is always scope for improvement even if you are on the circuit for more than a decade,” says Sumeeth.

And, Sumeeth’s success story is another saga of triumph over all odds. His father Bhaskar Reddy, an athletic coach who hails from Ibrahimpatnam, quit coaching to focus more on his son’s career.

Living up to the expectations, Sumeeth and Manu won the Senior National doubles title twice and finished runners-up once in the last three editions.

This Income Tax Inspector is now gunning for a slot in the 2016 Rio Olympics. “It is going to be really tough. But, we are ready for the big challenges. We are aware that we need to post bigger wins. We are working really hard to keep improving,” says Sumeeth.

Coming from a sporting family as his elder brother Srikanth Reddy was also a South Zone gold medallist in track and field (walk), the spirit to excel under trying circumstances is in the genes.

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