Mumbai, Jul 19: Two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu on Sunday said that while she never stopped believing in herself, her victory at the Japan Open Super 750 reaffirmed that it is not over yet.
Sindhu’s win in straight games (21-17, 21-17) over Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi helped her clinch a first major title in two years, and she also became the first-ever Indian to win the tournament.
“I must say, (it is a) much waited and much wanted (victory),” Sindhu told reporters in an interaction organised by the Badminton Association of India.
“It is definitely a confidence boost where with this, I can go much further and this gives me a lot of confidence and lot of belief that yes, I can do it and it’s not over yet. I’m very, very happy for this win right before the upcoming Worlds (Championships).”
“You hear a lot of things happening but I think more than giving a reply, I would just want to say that I believe in myself. Yes, it has been a long time and for me, yes, this title was very, very important,” Sindhu added.
Sindhu admitted it was a tough run for her for almost last two years in which she also struggled with niggles and injuries.
“It was quite a tough journey because I had some niggles and injuries. As an athlete, injuries do happen. It’s part and parcel of life so it is very important to come back stronger and definitely it took me some time,” Sindhu said.
“I had some niggles, then I came back again, I was injured again and then coming back to the rhythm, it wasn’t easy.”
“The support staff, my coach, and I worked really hard to come to this stage and I’m very happy that I could do this and win and give them this victory,” she added.
Sindhu said she was prepared for playing long rallies with Yamaguchi in the Japan Open final.
“With her, I need to be prepared for long rallies and standing on court for a longer period of time. Every point is important because even the slightest chance we give, you are going to lose that rhythm,” Sindhu said.
On working with Indonesia’s Irwansyah Adi Pratama, Sindhu said they had to keep both belief and patience that results would come after realising they were getting it right.
“Irwansyah has been committed as always and he was also very focused, saying that I believe in you, or what you need to do or what needs to be done,” Sindhu said.
“We were very disciplined in what needs to be done and we were just making sure that it will come and we believed in ourselves. That was the most important thing and he was saying that it will come because in training sessions, everything was going on well.”
Sindhu said she did work on her speed and agility with the coaches.
“They have really helped me in terms of strength, physical fitness, speed, (and) agility. They touched up on that. It was very important because sometimes you might do everything but the smallest might be remaining,” she said.
“To see that where am I lacking and to make sure every data is on point and what needs to be done, let’s say, in terms of recovery, what recovery are we doing, is it working out or not…”
“… so each and everything they touched base on and that is when the whole support system comes into picture.”
With the 15-point system coming into effect from January 2027, Sindhu said the intensity of the matches will be higher.
“It’s going to be very intense is what I feel. The matches might be a little bit lower, but the intensity is definitely going to be more fast,” Sindhu said.
“In 21 (points system) you actually have time. Even though you are 5-6 points down, you still have time to cover it whereas in 15 (points system), you don’t have that time. From point number one, you need to be alert.”
“… after seven points, already the half of the game is over so it is very important that you fight for every point from point number one. It is going to be very challenging and very exciting is what I feel,” she added.
