P.V. Sindhu’s crushing 21-7, 21-7 victory in 38 minutes against Japan’s Nazomi Okuhara in the women’s singles at the World Badminton Championships in the Swiss city of Basel on Sunday was a result of her mental fortitude, according to women’s doubles player Sanjana Santosh.
Twenty-year-old Sanjana, who is a resident of Mumbai, said the Hyderabad shuttler’s mindset and attitude made the difference at the end of the day. She said, “Almost all players at the highest level are fit and talented, but Sindhu’s mindset definitely gives her an edge.” Sanjana said Sindhu backed her good form with meticulous preparation for the tournament. “The hard work put in before stepping onto the court showed in her performances at Basel.”
Sanjana said that she became friends with Sindhu during the national camp at Pullela Gopichand’s academy in Hyderabad. She accompanied Sindhu as part of the Indian squad at the 2017 World Championships in Glasgow and saw her go down fighting to Okuhara in an epic 110-minute final. She said, “I watched Sindhu lose a close final. To see her come back and win the gold two years later by beating the same opponent is incredible.”
Sanjana said Sindhu has brought a lot of “positive attention” to the sport by becoming the first Indian to win the world title. “The world title is a milestone in Indian badminton. It will inspire a lot of kids to take up the sport and chase their dreams. As an emerging doubles player, and having known Sindhu personally, it makes me believe that I too have a chance to realise my dreams.”
Different challenge
Sanjana said doubles is a different challenge as partners have to strike a rapport on court and complement each other’s game to win matches. “I am happy I qualified in 2017 with another partner. Then our partnership split and I did not qualify for 2018. I started from scratch last year with a new partner and within a few months earned the qualification for 2019. This time I felt more confident.” However, Sanjana and her partner Pooja Dandu, ranked 46 in women’s doubles, lost their first round match against Hsu Ya Ching and Hu Ling Fan of Chinese Taipei. They went down 21-15, 21-14 in 33 minutes. Sanjana said, “Conditions at Basel were tricky. It takes more experience to handle it. We have a lot to work on individually and as a pair. We are young and have a long way to go. I am trying to enjoy the journey. Hopefully, we will get to the destination soon.”
The duo had travelled to Basel right after winning the Lagos International Badminton Classics in July. They beat the Turkish pair of Bengisu Ercetin and Nazlıcan Inci 21-18, 8-21, 21-14 to be crowned the women’s doubles champions. Sanjana, who was signed up by Yonex after she competed and toured without a personal sponsor, said, “What worked for Pooja and me is that we have been working hard at improving our combination. The recent success has boosted our confidence to execute our plans on court. It has been a roller-coaster ride: playing the 2017 World Championships, not having a partner in 2018, and finally making a comeback to the tournament in 2019.”
‘Pair primed for progress’
Former India doubles ace Uday Pawar has said that the women’s doubles pair of Sanjana Santosh and Pooja Dandu will make better progress as they get stronger and fitter.
Mr. Pawar, a member of the 1986 Asian Games team that won a bronze medal, runs a badminton academy at Goregaon Sports Club, where Sanjana picked up her early lessons. He said, “Sanjana’s partner is new and they will continue to progress. Rallies in women’s doubles are longer as they do not have the power to finish like the men.”
