The COVID-19 pandemic has left the entire world in a stand-still. The sporting calendar has been torn apart by the outbreak of the dreaded virus with all the tournaments getting either cancelled or postponed. The 21-day lockdown period in India, which is enforced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, has restricted all the athletes to train indoors.
Ace Indian badminton player, Kidambi Srikanth, in an exclusive interview with WION's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spoke about a lot of things ranging from the decision to postpone Olympics, how it will affect the qualification scenario, his run of form of late, how he is managing to remain fit amid the lockdown and much more.
Digvijay Singh Deo: Srikanth, I must start with what you think of the decision to postpone the Olympic games because pushing the dates back by a year directly affects you.
Kidambi Srikanth: I think the situation the world is in right now with this deadly virus, it is the correct decision. Sport is very important to athletes, but not more important than life itself.
DSD: Do you now firmly believe that you will get a fair chance at qualification once again? And I empashize the word fair here.
KS: I’m not sure about the process to qualify for the Games. The Badminton World Federation has not given an official statement yet. They will have to decide what tournaments they will form part of the qualifiers. I think every player who is capable of being in the top 16 of the rankings, be it this year or next year will get the chance to make it to the Olympics
DSD: Let’s look at the problems all the Indian shuttlers we’re facing. Parupalli Kashyap was very vocal about it as well and Saina Nehwal too. When we play a sport we believe in the principle of fair play. You think that was missing with the BWF cancelling tournaments and then not announcing any backup. That is favoured only a certain set of players who were all but qualified for the Olympics.
KS: Initially, they cancelled some tournaments and I was one of the players whose ranking got severely affected as no compensation in the form of an event was being offered. But now since the games have been postponed, it gives BWF 12 months’ time to figure out what tournaments to include as part of the qualifying process before the deadline. Now the ball is in BWF’s court and they have to make a decision which is fair to all the players.
DSD: I must remind everyone that you reached the quarterfinals of the Rio Olympics four years ago and played a memorable match against Lin Dan. PV Sindhu went on to win a silver there for India and you were cheering from the stands. What did playing in an Olympics mean to you Srikanth?
KS: Every athlete dreams of participating in the Olympics. Once you're there you obviously want to do well and win a medal for your country. At the Olympics, the athletes are not just playing for themselves, they are representing their countries. A medal won is added to the country's tally and not attributed to just the athlete. So being part of the games is something you cherish as an athlete. The whole country feels a sense of pride when an athlete wins a medal, so it is a dream of mine to do that and I will give it all I’ve got.
DSD: Talk us through if you will about how your approach and training changes in the approach to a big tournament like the Olympics that only comes once every 4 years. How far out do you start to plan for it?
KS: The other tournaments happen throughout the year, so you don't get a substantial amount of time to prepare. But the Olympics is one tournament where you get about one and a half to two months before the event with no tournaments. So that gives us players the time to work on every aspect of our game. Usually before other tournaments because of the time constraint, we can only work on specific aspects or our weaknesses. But that is not the case for the Olympics, so you actually go there with all you've got.
DSD: For you personally this forced break gives you a chance of recalibrating and figuring out what to change. Results over the last 12-18 months have not been good and by the standards, you have set you will be extremely disappointed.
KS: I think this is the ideal time for me to work on my fitness and physical state. I can also fix some posture issues. Unfortunately, I can't go to the gym at the moment, so I’m doing whatever I can at home. It's very important to maintain physical fitness at this time because whenever I get back to training on the court, my body should be ready. I have to put this time to good use so that I don't have to start from scratch when I’m back on the court. Apart from that, I’m also reflecting on my game, trying to figure out what worked for me in 2017-2018 and what my game has lacked in 2019.
DSD: If I may ask you - what do you think is missing? Is it a lack of confidence, errors in executing game plans, or a feeling that the same things that worked previously aren’t working anymore?
KS: I think initially it was my injury that was a major setback for me. Then when I recovered I feel like I was pushing myself too hard, playing too many tournaments. Subsequently, I dropped ranking points and put too much pressure on myself, because of that I got a few more injuries. So I probably won't play many tournaments in the next 12 months. I'll work on my physical fitness and work on my body, which will hopefully result in good performances on the court. I'll probably play one tournament a month in the next 12 months.
DSD: There was a suggestion from Pullela Gopichand earlier in the season that playing too many tournaments was a reason for the early exits of the Indian shuttlers in a few consecutive events. Also, badminton as a sport requires consistency over a 12-month period to qualify for the Olympics, unlike sports like shooting and archery where there are designated tournaments where you can qualify.
KS: I think one mistake the BWF continues to make every year is it puts pressure on players to play minimum 12 super series events every year, along with that there will be tournaments like the Thomas Cup and the World Championships. So that adds up to about 17-18 tournaments every year, which puts a lot of pressure on the players. I don't think it is possible for a player to be fit for 18 tournaments ever year. So that is what taking a toll on many players' bodies and resulting in injuries. So the calendar is something the BWF should definitely look at. I think from the player's point of view, the number of mandatory tournaments in a year should be reduced to 12 to 15. That'll help the players stay fit and as a result, they'll be able to compete at the highest level.
DSD: Let’s now talk about how you are approaching your day in these times. The lockdown has been much longer for you as you all had to enter a period of self-isolation after returning from All England
KS: After a long time, I’ve been at home for this long period. I think in the last 12-16 months; I’ve not spent more than 2 weeks at home in total. I'm also in Guntur and not in Hyderabad, which is also rare. In the last 10 or 12 years, i have not spent more than 4 days at my home in Guntur at a stretch. I've been in Guntur since 13th march, so it’s almost been 3 weeks, it is a bit strange almost difficult to be at one place. Suddenly I feel that travelling is easier. If training facilities would have been open in Hyderabad, I think I would have preferred being there. But staying at home with nothing much to do is a bit difficult for me.
DSD: What about badminton.is it necessary for you to keep playing every day and how are you managing that?
KS: There are some indoor courts nearby but they are all shut. So as of now, I have nowhere I can train. Even all the gyms are closed.
DSD: We are seeing many international athletes post videos etc, of their fitness regimes. Indian athletes like Ashwini Ponnappa and Anjum Moudgil also doing the same. So what are you up to?
KS: There are exercises I do every day for about 30 to 45 minutes. It's about staying fit so that the fitness levels of my body do not drop down drastically. I think that's my main goal in this period to stay physically fit.
DSD: since you are in Guntur and with pretty much nothing to do how are you spending time with family. Are you trying your hand at cooking? Do you have a WhatsApp group of fellow shuttlers. What are they up to and what are all you talking about?
KS: I’m not cooking, but I watch TV with my parents and sometimes play carrom. I usually watch whatever comes up on TV, no particular show as I haven't planned anything to watch. I also do some gaming on my mobile. I’m in touch with my team-mates and know what they're up to.
