I’ve fire in me, much more to achieve: Sindhu begins training under new coach Irwansyah

PTI, Jan 13, 2025, 7:16 PM IST

PV Sindhu (pti/file)

New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has begun a new chapter under renowned Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama and said she still has the fire to achieve more in the last phase of her career.

The 29-year-old from Hyderabad, a former world champion, has worked with multiple coaches but still endured a challenging season which included a medal-less Olympic campaign.

Sindhu, who will be returning to action at the India Open Super 750 after missing the Malaysia Open last week following her wedding last month, has begun training under coach Irwansyah, who is credited with the rise of men’s singles stars Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting.

“Right now I am training with coach Irwansyah in Bangalore, it has been just one and a half week. Basically he is women’s singles coach and also he is training some young boys as well. I am really looking forward to it. We have recently started,” Sindhu told reporters on the eve of the tournament.

“The bonding is important between coach and athlete, it will take time. We will need a couple of training sessions to come together and understand what he’s thinking.

“I’ve heard a lot about him and I thought he is the right coach for me. The way he’s approaching against opponents, I think it’s really good.” The shift from personal coaches to group training under Irwansyah at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy marks a major change for Sindhu.

“Yes, it will be in a group. Basically when the camp list comes out, will come to know who are the women players there. So accordingly it will be decided.” Having achieved tremendous success including the Rio Olympic silver under the tutelage of mentor and chief India coach Pullela Gopichand, Sindhu later worked with Korea’s Kim Ji Hyun to win the 2019 World championships and claimed the Tokyo silver with Park Tae-Sang.

She then moved to Malaysian Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, before training with Vidhi Choudhary for a brief time. She trained under Indonesian legend Agus Dwi Santoso with the legendary Prakash Padukone also mentoring her ahead of the Paris Olympics and then was guided by the duo of Anup Sridhar and Korean Lee Hyun-il till December.

Asked if the dynamics will be different in a group setting, Sindhu said: “I don’t think it will be different. Initially when I used to play as an individually coached player as well, there were players who were sparring with me. So it’s good for them and it’s also good for me because they make it difficult.

“But I think it will be like a conference where they are also improving. I am also improving. We are competing against each other. So it’s always good.” Before claiming the Syed Modi super 300 crown in December, Sindhu had last won a BWF title at the Singapore Open in 2022. A stress fracture on her left foot following the Commonwealth Games gold kept her away from the court for a long time.

She also suffered a knee injury in 2023 and returned to action in the early part last year. She did reach the finals at the 2023 Spain Masters Super 300 and 2024 Malaysia Masters Super 500 but couldn’t win the title.

“I need to maintain my speed. I need to have my power. The women’s singles game is evolving, and after playing for so many years, I think opponents definitely know my game by now. They’ll anticipate it, so it’s crucial to strategize with my coach, having both a Plan A and a Plan B,” she said.

“At the same time, I must keep working on my speed and continue to improve it, because while opponents may be familiar with my strategy and style, it’s essential to keep changing things up accordingly.” With five world championships medal, two Olympic medals, two Asian Games medal and multiple other titles, Sindhu has achieved success in most of the big-ticket events but she believes she still has a lot to offer and win.

“I still feel there’s so much more to achieve. I have that fire in me, and I know I can do it. It’s just a matter of time and rhythm,” she said.

“I definitely want to secure another medal at the World Championships, and also at the All England Championships. There are big tournaments like the World Tour Finals that I’ve already won medals in, but every time you step onto the court, you always want to win, even if you’ve won before.”