Badminton News: A rejuvenated PV Sindhu aims to make a strong impression at the Asian Team Championships from February 13 to 18 at the Setia Alam Convention Centre.
The Indian women's singles player has accelerated her recovery from her left knee injury suffered at Roland Garros last October and is all set to return to the Asian Team Championships.
PV Sindhu had added Indonesian Agus Dwi Santoso to her coaching team last month in a bid to regain her best form from the team tournament which is also a qualifier for the Uber Cup final from April 27 to May 5 in Chengdu, China.
Agus mentored the 28-year-old along with Prakash Padukone at the Prakash Padukone academy in Bengaluru. After suffering a stress fracture in her left foot during the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Sindhu struggled to return to her best form when she was crowned world champion in 2019.
The world number 11 had shown signs of his old self when he reached back-to-back semi-finals at the Arctic and Denmark Open last October before his progress was hampered again by injury.
PV Sindhu promises to fight hard to be the best again before the Paris Olympics in July.
Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) head coach and national team selector U. Vimal Kumar feels that Sindhu needs to take more initiative in her matches.
“Sindhu needs to take more initiative because she has suddenly become a bit defensive,” Vimal said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
“If the opponent plays a slow game, they will also slow down their game. If the opponent plays fast, they will try to overcome it.”
“There is no initiative like playing in front of the net, creating opportunities or attacking. Prakash's contribution will help him as he will be able to convey this to him.
Vimal believes that a good performance in the Asian team competition will give Sindhu a timely boost ahead of the back-to-back French Open (March 5-10) and All England Open (March 12-17).
“We can really gauge where he is when he gets back on the field. He will benefit from good match training,” he said.
“It could help him on the European Tour next month. He needs victories. Ultimately, it's about trust.
India are already assured of a quarter-final berth in the team clash against China as the two are the only seeded teams in Group W.
Article Tag: PV Sindhu, 2024 Asian Team Championships
