2017 has been a very fruitful year for Indian badminton. Apart from the success achieved by the two leading ladies, Saina and Sindhu, what came as a pleasant surprise was the showing of players in the men's singles divisions.
While Kidambi Srikanth registered four Super Series wins, B Sai Praneeth got the better of him in the Final of Singapore Open to claim the title. Another name that shone brightly this year was HS Prannoy who registered victories against both the Olympic champion Chen long and the runner-up lee Chong Wei in this year and then defeated Srikanth in the Final of the National championship. He capped the year by becoming the costliest buy in the PBl auctions for the third season.
On being asked about the camaraderie in the men's singles division, Srikanth revealed that the leading men enjoy a healthy relationship with each other.
"The rapport between the players is really great in the men's singles division. When we enter onto the court, we switch off from being friends and get into the competitive mode. Everyone wants to win every match that he plays. After the match, we go back to being friends again.
"So, there has been a great rapport between all the players, not just a few of us. Off the court, we are really good friends and hang out with each other very often. That's really good for the sport and we are matured enough to understand the level we are playing right now and be thorough professionals," the National champion revealed.
He created a mild upset in the Final of the National Championship by getting the better of Kidambi who was on a hot streak of form at the time. Prannoy locates his success against Srikanth to better execution on his part on the day.
"We play against each other every single day and practice together also. So, we know exactly what is coming our way from the other side. It's the execution part that needs to be better on that day. The player who executes better, wins. In French Open also, I was playing really well and lost narrowly against Srikanth. On the day of the National Final, I was a little bit better than Srikanth as far as the execution is concerned. He couldn't really execute well. That was the only difference between me and him. I was pretty lucky to win the nationals probably," the self-effacing world No 10 asserted.
looking ahead, the 25-year old accepts that Srikanth's success has encouraged them to aim higher.
"Everyone has goals. Everyone is striving to do his best in a very consistent way. I think performance from Srikanth has been really encouraging for all of us and serves as a motivation. It's really motivating for all of us. And I think in the next couple of years, I will have a couple of Super Series titles."
The player from Thiruvananthapuram was effusive in his praise for the National head coach Pullela Gopichand and gave him all the credit for himself and his compatriots' accomplishments.
"He (Pullela Gopichand) is the man behind our success. I don't think there could be any other person or coach at the moment in the country who could do this. He works on everything, from top to bottom. We have been with him for so many years now. We have all been blessed that he has been able to spend time with us and whenever he is on court, he doesn't just deal with the technical aspect but also talks about each and everything on the court which we need to do on a daily basis to improve our game. So I think I am really glad that he is with us," the 2017 US Open winner emphasized.
Being the costliest player in the PBl auctions, Prannoy would be watched closely when he takes the court for Ahmedabad Smash Masters. But he denies feeling any extra pressure on account of his monetary worth in the league.
"I don't think there would be extra pressure on me because I am now playing against the best of the world. So, all matches would be 50/50 affairs and the entire team knows that. It's just about taking the responsibility whenever the time comes. The trump matches would be very crucial. I think if you have that responsibility, you have to take it and say I am ready to do it. That's the thing a team needs. I am not at all in any pressure right now, I would just go out there and enjoy myself," a confident Prannoy concluded by saying.