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00:00Hello everyone, welcome to GULF NEWS. We have a very special guest in GULF NEWS, that is
00:12PV Sindhu, who is a world champion and an Indian badminton superstar. So this has been
00:17a long career for you, it's been a very successful career for you. How do you look back at your
00:22career?
00:23Well, I would say it's a long journey and a lot of things to learn and it's an experience
00:31all together I would say because back then when I started playing it was just for fun
00:37I started off and then I've had, of course there have been a lot of sacrifices put in
00:42and then there have also been lots of ups and downs. It's all together, when you look
00:48back now, it feels really great coming so far. At the same time, I feel really very
00:54happy because I've got the support that is always needed because my parents themselves
01:01were sportspersons. So I think the support and motivation that they gave me and even
01:07now they keep supporting me and motivating me no matter what because that's what is
01:13required for an athlete, that motivation when you are at your lows and that keeps you
01:18going.
01:19First of all, let me start from the Asian badminton, that's where you are here. The
01:23Asian badminton championship is going to take place from February 14 to 19, the team event
01:28and then the individual event in April. So I saw that you were very excited this morning
01:34with the draw. So how good is the draw or what is your thought process on the draw today?
01:39Well, firstly, it was really nice to be here today in Dubai for the draw ceremony of the
01:46Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. I mean, it's always nice to play in Dubai
01:51because earlier I've played back-to-back almost for like three years. And then again
01:57after some break, I'm coming here. So really looking forward for the Asian team championships.
02:06But apart from that, the draw is pretty good is what I feel. We have Malaysia, we have
02:11UAE and another team. I mean, it's pretty good, I would say. I mean, we shouldn't
02:16take it easy, but at the same time, even Malaysia isn't easy. So each match is going to be
02:22hard, but I feel competitively we can do our best and give our best. Really looking forward
02:27for it.
02:28How was your memory of Dubai from the previous times you came in and what are you looking
02:34forward this time?
02:35Well, every time we come to Dubai, it's something new. There's something new, but
02:40it's a beautiful city, I must say. And when I came here, I've gone to places, I've
02:46seen different places, but I'm sure this time there are a lot more things to see. Apart
02:51from that, I think Dubai, I've come here back then for the World Tour Finals continuously
02:55almost for like three times. And it is always nice to play in Dubai because, you know, it's
03:01a different atmosphere. And also, you know, the fans, the people out here are very, very
03:06supportive. And also there are a lot of Indians here. So I think this time when we're going
03:11to play, I'm sure there are going to be a lot of fans cheering for us, which is going
03:15to be a good one. Yeah, I mean, altogether, I would say Dubai is always, you know, very
03:21nice to play. And even this time, I wish we will do well and there'll be a lot of cheering
03:27for us.
03:28And the extra cheering will come to Tanisha Krastu, who was a Dubai girl who was going
03:33to be there, part of your team.
03:35She's a really good player. She's playing really well and she's coming up and she's
03:39a very sweet girl. So, I mean, she's really hardworking. She's playing her doubles and
03:44mixed doubles, where she's doing really well. She's also done very well in the in the recent
03:49tournament. Of course, I mean, she playing in the tournaments, I think she knows what
03:54it takes to become a champion. And it's not just that, but also I think the hard work
03:59behind that is very much required. And of course, I think these kinds of players, I
04:05think they need to understand and keep working hard. And I'm sure in the upcoming years,
04:10she will definitely do well and get a name for herself and for the country.
04:15Well, it's very, very important. Of course, team event is something where it's a different
04:19atmosphere altogether. But I think as a team, every individual needs to give their best
04:24at the same time. So I would say it's a different atmosphere because generally it's
04:28an individual event where we play our own matches and we just come out. But here we
04:33need to play for the team and also support equally as a team.
04:38I saw that during the Uber Cup.
04:41Yeah, I think it's always nice to have events like these where, you know, as a team,
04:46we all come together and we cheer for each other. And also, you know, there's also
04:51rankings where you win, you get a few points. But apart from that, it's an Olympic year
04:57where we have the Olympic qualification starting. And of course, 2024, everybody is looking
05:02at where we will have the Paris Olympics 2024. But before that, we have a lot of tournaments
05:09coming up where we start our Olympic qualification soon. And each tournament is very important
05:15because, you know, everybody wants to win every tournament, but it's a hectic year.
05:21At the same time, we need to pick and choose what tournaments to play because you also
05:25have to stay physically fit and be 100 percent and stay injury free as well.
05:30Coming back from an injury, I think it's important for you, isn't it? How well is your injury right now?
05:35Yeah, I mean, it's all well. I started playing tournaments from this Jan. I played two tournaments.
05:41But yeah, before that, I had a hairline fracture where I had to take a break for almost like
05:46four months. Yeah, I missed. Yes, I missed a few tournaments. But I think it's also
05:53important to keep your body safe and fit because injuries are something where, you know,
06:00you need to take a break for a longer period of time. Rather, you know, you take care of
06:04your body and make sure you don't have an injury so that, you know, you can stay physically
06:09fit and play 100 percent and be at 100 percent.
06:13Yeah, I mean, there are a lot of tournaments. Firstly, I want to play well and win some
06:18tournaments, obviously, but there are a lot of tournaments once again. Apart from that,
06:24obviously, ultimate aim would be to get a medal at Paris 2024. But before that, short
06:30term goals for this year, I would say Asian Games is going to be there. And of course,
06:36the World Championships. Yeah, yeah, I hope I do well in a few tournaments.
06:42How do you manage expectations? Everybody expects you to win all the time.
06:46Yeah, well, expectations are always there. Pressure is always on. But at times, you know,
06:52you can't keep up to people's expectations where sometimes it might be your day, sometimes
06:57it might not be your day. But it's very important that you give your 100 percent.
07:01And I think, you know, when you go into a match, I mean, even though the pressure is
07:05on, you know, when you're just going to a match, it's just you yourself giving your
07:09100 percent rather than, you know, thinking what people want, because that would add extra
07:14pressure. So I feel, you know, when we go into a match, you just have to focus on how
07:19you have to play and what you have to play and just give your best.
07:22Well, it's badminton as a sport is definitely improving and is growing. So I would say that
07:29there are a lot of youngsters, there is a lot of talent. But at the same time, it's
07:33not going to be easy because you need to have the right guidance and you need to have right
07:38coaches to guide you in the right way. It's just not a few months of hard work. It takes
07:43years and years of hard work to come to a level. So if you have the right guidance and
07:47right coaches and right people to guide you, I'm sure you will get a lot of medals in
07:52the next coming few years.
07:54Yeah, in men's we have, of course, Pranay is doing well recently and Lakshya is already
07:59doing well. We have Srikanth and we have other players like youngsters, I would say,
08:05Kiran George and a lot of players. Even in women's, you know, after me, Saina, there
08:10is a bit of gap. I mean, of course, it takes a few years to, you know, cover that gap up.
08:15But I'm sure that there are a lot of youngsters. But yeah, at the same time, yes, it is going
08:20to take, you know, a few years for that gap to cover. I mean, so that's what I said.
08:27You need to have the right guidance and right coaches. It's not just that, you know,
08:31group of players are training under a coach. You have to also make sure that, you know,
08:36every individual needs to get individual training and needs to understand what their body type
08:42is because every individual has a different style of play. So it's not just one coach
08:48training a group of people where, you know, everyone has a different style of play.
08:52It's not going to work like that. So I think from the ecosystem, from the grassroot levels
08:57that should be there, then I'm sure things will change and there'll be a lot of improvement
09:02and there'll be a lot more athletes who will come up because I'm sure every country
09:08has a group of people like, for example, for a tournament, there are six, seven Chinese
09:13and then in the next tournament, you see some more athletes coming up.
09:17So to have that, we also need to start where every individual needs to get an individual
09:23separate treatment. At the same time, they need to understand that every body type is
09:29different and accordingly work out to their body type. I'm not training under him anymore, sir.
09:34It's been a long time now. So I've had a different set of coaches from the time I've started
09:41until now. So, of course, I'm thankful to everyone because each coach has taught me
09:46different things and different strategy, different skills. At the same time, right now I was
09:52I'm training under Mr. Park and right now I'm seeing for different coaches because,
09:58you know, you need to understand that every player has a different style of play and you
10:02need to strategize accordingly so that, you know, a coach and athlete relationship should
10:07be in such a way where you need to understand what the opponent is playing and you need
10:14to strategize accordingly so that if plan A doesn't work, you need to immediately change
10:18to plan B. So you need to accordingly strategize and work it out. I mean, it depends because,
10:24you know, as an athlete where I've achieved everything, I think for me coming to a level
10:31is OK, but maintaining that level is even more harder because when you start winning
10:35tournaments, I think the opponents are going to look at your matches, look at your games
10:39and strategize in such a way that, you know, they want to beat you the next time. So we
10:43need to make sure that, you know, you need to have different set of plans. At the same
10:48time, you know, me being an attacking player, people don't give me to attack because I'm
10:53tall. So they make sure that, you know, they play more of downward strokes. So, you know,
10:59I need to be stronger in that, stronger in defense to make sure that they cannot get
11:05a point from me. So that's how I am strategizing. Yes. Yes. Well, for me, mostly I keep traveling
11:14for some events and shoots and stuff. I would say that's my past time. Apart from that,
11:20I have a nephew who is four years old. So I spend time with him and I have a dog. So
11:27do you watch movies? Yeah, I do. What kind of movies? I mean, it can be any any movie
11:32like Bollywood or Tollywood or just on OTT because nowadays OTT has become a thing where
11:40everybody is binge watching it. So I would say it can be anything. So who's your favorite
11:46actor? I would say Rana. I mean, he's done a fantastic movie, RRR. And of course, Mahesh
11:56Babu and Prabhas. I mean, there are a lot of actors. So, yeah. And what's your best
12:05moment in your life or in a career? This is the best moment, most memorable moment. Well,
12:11for me, I would say there are a couple. So first one would be where I won my first title
12:19in Cochin. That would be under 10 when I was that's my first time. That's always very
12:24memorable to me. And after that, my first world championship win bronze in 2013. I was
12:32the first woman to get a bronze in world championships at world championships. And then after that,
12:38of course, Rio, which has changed my life completely. And then the world championships,
12:43which was like a much weighted win after like two bronze, two silver. And of course, the
12:48Tokyo. Yeah, I want to ask you for a long time, you were coming to the finals, you were
12:53never winning it. What changed? Well, I think, I mean, I, I would say that, you know, coming
13:02to finals itself is definitely a big thing. A lot of people ask me, you know, what is
13:06happening to you when after coming to the finals? But I mean, it was it was just wasn't
13:11my day because I've given my 100% I played my game. But a lot of people start telling
13:17me that, you know, you have like, do you have a phobia after coming to the finals? But I
13:22would say that, you know, I mean, there was a scenario where in 2018, I've had almost
13:29like eight finals. And finally, you know, in December, there was this world two finals,
13:34which was like one of the top tournaments and I won that. So I just told them that I
13:38didn't speak anything. But I just told them that, you know, I gave an answer with my racket.
13:41So that is all I could say. So is it confidence? Because sometimes you start doubting yourself
13:47at that point of time. Was it any? No, I mean, it wasn't doubting myself. But at the same
13:53time, I wasn't also thinking about what has happened. But I mean, there maybe there was
13:59particularly maybe a strategy wise, maybe I could have changed something else. But it
14:04was with different opponents I've been losing. But at the same time, I beat all of them in
14:08the other tournament. So it's just that on that day who plays well and give their best
14:12to the winner is what I feel. So is there any loss which hurts you very badly? Well,
14:17there are I mean, every loss hurts me very badly. But I think every match every win is
14:24very memorable. At the same time, you learn a lot from your losses. And you learn from
14:30your mistakes and bounce back stronger. I think that is very important at the end of
14:33the day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I do get angry when I lose points. But also I'm very
14:39sensitive when I lose matches. So I mean, yeah, I'm very jovial. But at the same time
14:45when I lose, I cry. I'm like any other girl who cries and who's very sensitive. So yeah.
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