‘Lot of people asked what’s happening? Career done? But I kept believing’: Sindhu

Thanking her set of coaches – Irwansyah chiefly, and trainers and physios, she thanked her circle that had stood by her decision to forge on towards a third Olympic medal, even while others from her generation were wilting away, brought down by injuries. “I wanna thank both sets of families this time. My parents and in-laws and most importantly my husband.They were always there through my lows. People around me have guided me very well,” she added.

Her immediate reaction was, “Very very happy. Out of words.” But Sindhu found plenty of words to accurately describe why this mattered. “It was 2019 since I won (Super 750) and playing in the final is one thing. But to win, stand on the podium, win that gold is quite another thing altogether. I’m happy I’m on the positive side. This gives me a lot of confidence.”

The win was delayed by a tad as Yamaguchi went for a referral on a shuttle that landed long. “The last point was out. I had to take a judgment. I knew it was out. Until last moment you never know what will happen. So can’t take it easy. Because even if I was leading 8-4, 14-8, some of the taps, midcourt smashes were going out so it was important to stay calm and focus on each point. Because there were games when I was leading and it changed other way as well. So winning first game I had to make sure I control and each point mattered until the end,” Sindhu said.

Sindhu has gone down in several matches unable to navigate the situation where she in fact held the lead, but couldn’t clutch up. “It was important to stay positive all the time because even though first game I was leading, she came close. With top athletes you can’t take it easy. even though you are leading. I maintained same aggressiveness. In the end I couldn’t control my emotions. It was a really good game, really really long rallies, and I won some of those big rallies,” the current World No 10 who could be 7 tomorrow, said.

Sindhu told BWF she had worked on staying calm – singularly the only reason why previous finals had been fluffed when she had gotten agitated. “Irrespective of semis, finals, first round, second round, it was important to stay calm. Sometimes when leading you make sure you want to finish rallies quicker, you tend to make simple unforced errors which happened in second game. But coach said, it’s OK. Focus on next point. I let go what’s happened, and focused on next point. That made a difference,” she said.

The key factor has been Balaji an attacking game with fewer unforced errors that come with the territory. “More of my strength is attack. Since I’m moving well it’s important that I stop those unforced errors. Not making too many unforced errors is the game. Many more long rallies get played,” she would explain.

With the World Championships at Delhi in a month, this title is timely. A reminder. A warning. A self-affirmation. “This will give me lot of confidence. I need to maintain same tempo and calmness. Keep going. It’s good to win at this time,” Sindhu said.