Badminton sensation PV Sindhu, 20, believes Indian Badminton league (IBl) will be a great exposure for the local players as they get to spend more time with some of the sport's finest players. During the launch of the second IBl, she tells Karthik Raman how the two week league can help in improving the domestic players.
How helpful do you think IBl was to Indian playersIJ
The first edition of IBl was very beneficiary for many players. Foreign players were everywhere and many local lads were able to spend more time with them, which helped them a lot and would have been a great exposure.
How excited are you about the second edition of the league, which will take place after a break of two and a half yearsIJ
It is a good thing that IBl is going on. It is a good encouragement for many players. It gives many players good exposure. Usually we play with only ourselves, but the involvement of players from other countries will help us a lot.
In the latest BWF rankings, you remained at 13th. How bothered are you about the rankingsIJ
Ranking is not a matter for me. I don't think about it much because if you play really well, your ranking comes up.
Does Olympic qualification ever cross your mindIJ
Yes, of course it does because every tournament is very important now as this leads to Olympic qualification. Some people ask me what are your Olympic plansIJ But we should not forget that before it there are many tournaments going to take place and I need to focus on it to be successful.
What do you feel about the timing of the league as it takes place during the qualification phase of the Rio OlympicsIJ
It is not really tough because Olympics qualification is coming up and IBl is in the middle of it. I am not really nervous about it because I am happy that IBl is going on.
Due to the schedule of the league, does your mindset about the tournament changeIJ Because of which you focus on coming out of the league without picking up any fresh injuries rather than winning itIJ
No, you can't keep thinking about injuries because injury will happen anytime, it is not like injury will only happen in January or February. Injuries are part of life. If it will happen, it will happen, you can't do anything about it. For that you have to train hard and should be fit enough to face it.
How do you keep yourself motivated during injuriesIJ
It is crucial to stay strong. It is important to be patient. But you should also make sure that you return stronger so the injury does not comeback again. Earlier this year I missed five tournaments, almost four months due to injury. During which time, my coaches and other staffs have been very supportive to help me recover.
Are you working on any particular strokeIJ
I have been looking at my defence and I have improved it now. However, you cannot focus only on one stroke because each and every stroke is very important and you have to practice it each and every day to ensure that you become stronger.
In Denmark Open, you stunned reigning World Champion Carolina Marin in semifinals but you came up short in final against li Xuerui of China 19-21, 12-21. Did tiredness play a part in that defeatIJ
Well not exactly. I was leading 16-10 in the first game, but then few unforced errors from my part changed the nature of the game and suddenly the momentum switched. If I had won that game the total complexion would have changed.
Few words about your rivalry with World No.2 Saina NehwalIJ
The rivalry with Saina is mainly on court. When we are on court we obviously want to win the match and beat the other. But when we move out of the court, everything goes back to normal.