PV Sindhu has had a struggling 2023 after making a return from stress fracture in the left foot, that occurred during her gold-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games last August. She has faced early exits in the first round of seven tournaments since her return, with her appearances in the finals limited to just one. Her ranking has plummeted to No 15, and she no longer enjoys the benefit of being seeded in Tour events, which has made her tournament draws more challenging.
Throughout this period, she has had three different coaches by her side, but she has failed to recapture her former aggressive and confident style so far. Sindhu will now be carrying India’s hopes at the Asian Games this year and even as the India star is facing struggles, she continues to remain the country’s best hope for a medal finish in women’s singles category. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Sindhu finally shared insights into the challenges she faced during her injury and her efforts to make a comeback that have – so far – fallen short of her expectations.
“When I was winning everything, it was almost perfect (smiles). You’re happy, you come back and you want to win more. But there are days also when you lose, you are down, you want to get into that rhythm but you’re not able to. I’m sure there are situations where you win some and you lose some. It can never happen that you win every time, right? Especially right now, after the injury, coming back in January and trying to find that rhythm again…it’s been OK, but there have been ups and downs,” Sindhu said.
“It was important for me to have that patience and keep trying harder and coming back stronger. I know it is not easy, but it’s also important that mentally you are strong enough to face these things. Because with rhythm, sometimes when you’re not up there, you might feel upset, or that nothing is working out. You keep trying but still you keep losing. That doesn’t mean you should stop trying, rather you should keep trying again and again until it comes.”
Naturally, it has been a difficult year for Sindhu and emotions often run high after enduring repeated failures; for the India’s star shuttler, it’s no different. When asked if she feels like letting her emotions out, Sindhu stated it’s important to “let out what you feel.”
“Ya, ya. There are lot of situations like that. At times, after my match is finished, I get really upset and I cry too. Maybe on court I’m a bit different. But off court, when I lose matches, I do get upset and cry. But you need to realise that it’s OK. You need to let out what you feel. You need to be prepared for what’s ahead because you can’t think it’s the end of the world. I know it’s hard and it’s upsetting. But it’s important to relax for a day and come back tomorrow,” said Sindhu.
Have seen Virat’s interviews…
Even athletes look at other athletes for inspiration when the chips are down. Sindhu reveals she read interviews including those of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, and they often help her come out of the situation stronger.
“I do read some interviews, and I’ve seen Virat’s as well — when you’re sad and nothing is working out, how you are and how you come out of it stronger. Initially Virat too went through a situation where he couldn’t score. But coming out of that is incredibly important, even for the greatest athletes. I’m sure every athlete goes through it,” said the 28-year-old star.Also