Feb 1: He is known to be a demanding coach but Pullela Gopichand is of the opinion that Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu’s odd defeats can’t be termed as her failure, not even by a single percent.
“I am not too bothered about a loss if the progression is happening. We are talking about very high level players here, world number 1s and 3s. It is not like we have been producing world No 1s forever in our country,” Gopichand said during a chat.
“World No 1 Tai Tzu is playing well but Sindhu beat her at the Olympics, when it mattered. She also reached the world championship finals. Yes, some may argue that second is not good enough but I am more positive. I am happy with her result. I cannot think of it as a failure even by 1 per cent.”
Sindhu had lost in the finals of World Championship to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in an epic battle, before suffering losses to world number one Tai Tzu Ying at Hong Open final and world No 2 Akane Yamaguchi in the Dubai Super Series Final.
Gopichand said his main target this year is to ensure that his wards deliver at big-ticket events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
“The two major events, which are coming up are the CWG in Gold Coast and the Asian Games in Jakarta. We also have the World Championship and the All England. I know the number of tournaments will be a lot. For me, it is important the players keep working and do well in the big events,” he said.
Gopichand said India needs better structure and coaches to produce a consistent line of players, who can keep bringing laurels to the country in badminton.
“I think if you look at Indian badminton, the number are very well but whether one would turn to be a srikanth, we better structure and coaches and a more systematic approach.”
Asked if his own coaching structure is not enough, Gopichand said:”What we are talking about is bigger numbers? When these players were younger, I used to spend a lot of time with them. We need coaches of that calibre, who have not only played at the highest level but also think at that level. We don’t have coaches but I have been saying it for last 10 years, right.”
Talking about doubles, Gopichand admitted that consistency is lacking.
“You can see some sparks, one Japan Open semi-finals but they are not consistent enough but it will come. A lot of positive but a lot needs to be done.
“We need more numbers. We need players to take doubles as a career option, we need parents to support their kids, a little sponsorship, a little media coverage. We have Satwik and Chirag but they are just 18, it will take some time for them to gel.”
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