Satisfied with his “consistent” performance at the international circuit, the Thailand Open champion K. Srikanth says he wants to sign off the year with a top-25 finish.
“I think I performed well and was consistent after winning the Thailand Open. It is my second year in international circuit and I am happy with myself. The victory gave me a lot of confidence,” said Srikanth, who reached the Japan Open quarterfinals last week.
“I want to be the world no. 1 one day. There are four more tournaments to go in the year. I am right now ranked 39th but after the Japan Open, I might break into the top-30 and I want to finish the year within top 25,” he added.
The 20-year-old from Andhra Pradesh feels India has a strong field in the men’s singles and the high-level of competition at home is helping the players to perform well at the international circuit.
“We have a lot of men’s singles players in the academy, we train together and play each other. It helps in making strategy when we play against other players. It is always a 50-50 against them. I have beaten them in the academy,” he said.
Srikanth feels Indian badminton is on the rise and Parupalli Kashyap’s breaking into top 10 has given confidence to young shuttlers that they can also reach the peak.
“Kashyap made it to the top 10. He was sixth in the world for sometime. So we all have a chance of being there as he has shown that. Within the next two years, a lot of Indian players will be at the top,” Srikanth said.
