The emergence of young challengers notwithstanding, Arvind Bhat remains hopeful of defending his title at this week's senior National badminton championships.
“There is no pressure on me now since I have already won it last year; I will be happy to defend it if everything goes well,” he said here on Sunday.
A shoulder injury soon after last year's edition ruled Arvind out of action for a few months, but his form, of late, has been improving.
“I have been playing competitions only since September but I played well at Hong Kong Super series. I'm quite confident about my form and fitness,” he said
Arvind also said that he took the National championships extremely seriously. “If I'm not playing an international event, I always make it a point to play the Nationals,” he said. “It is the most important tournament for me on the domestic circuit.”
But he conceded that winning the title would be no stroll in the park. “There are a lot of talented youngsters in the field. They can beat any senior player on their day.”
