Macau victory is a vindication of Sindhu's promise

There are few pleasures in sport that can match the joy of experiencing a sense of vindication. Pusarla Venkata Sindhu’s triumphant run at Macau last week was another exhibition of the teenage girl’s precocious bag of talents. Coming as it did towards the end of a long season, it must have given equal amounts of joy and reassurance to both the girl and her doting parents.

After flying high on the back of her victorious campaign in Malaysia and the treasured bronze at the World Championship, Sindhu had endured a series of rough results. Alas, the girl is only 18, and there are a good dozen or so years ahead of her in the game of badminton. Not that she was in any hurry, but in the generation of constant media glare, it was only natural that the girl must have endured moments of self-inflicted pressure and doubt.

Several well meaning friends may have assured Sindhu that this was merely the beginning of a long journey. And that time was very much on her side. But seasoned athletes, for all the niggles they suffer, will tell you that there is nothing that can really match the pain of defeat. By the same token, there isn’t a much better friend than victory. It is especially so when a series victories power the sportsperson on to a podium to pick up the spoils.

The beautiful medal in Macau will go a long way in assuaging any lingering hurt that might have kept pinching the corners of Sindhu’s soul. One of the aspects that might pain her is the inability to win even a game against the soaring Thai star Ratchanok Intanon, who is the same age as the Indian. Sindhu ended on the wrong side of each of their three contests, all this year, without really threatening to derail the second ranked player in the world.

Of course, Sindhu came close in both the games they played in November at the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open, but close does not really count in sport. And Sindhu, despite her tender age, will be acutely aware of the difference between winning and losing. The margins are very small, but no athlete worth her sweat will relish the sight of another player’s back as they ride away towards the horizon.

She may not tell you now, but surely the young star would have been over the moon to have won at least one of her two encounters against Saina Nehwal. You can be certain that those two defeats at the hands of her stable mate at the Pullela Gopichand badminton academy left Sindhu feeling a bitter after-taste.

Fortunately, defeat has its role in the script of even the most successful players. So too with Sindhu, those defeats will only make her hungry for another tilt, even if only to see how else she might work the bird to upend her seasoned rivals. Apparently far more comfortable dealing with the power-packed Chinese style, Sindhu was found wanting against both Ratchanok and Saina.

Both of them employed deception – intelligent use of the wrist, clever placement and changes of pace – denying Sindhu any opportunity to dictate play with her power and speed. Towards the end of those five matches, Sindhu looked spent and tormented, as she worked her way through her frazzled mind seeking elusive answers.

These are facts that will not be easily lost either on her parents at home or the trainers at school. Sindhu is surrounded by successful athletes, both at home and the academy. And they will soon be at work to layer Sindhu’s already strong game with an added layer of mystique, so needed to counter the guile and wizardry of Ratchanok and the other big opponents.

Saina also seemed to have troubled Sindhu by forcing the game to her backhand, before punching cross court to snatch points. Evidently, the India number one kept the shuttle as flat as possible to ensure Sindhu did not have many clear opportunities to smash. Another way that Saina troubled Sindhu was by playing deep before drawing her back to the net at a stretch.

A combination of these factors allowed Saina to snatch the initiative back from Sindhu, after looking vulnerable early on in their first ever contest. Once she found the formula to test Sindhu, the 23-year-old was mostly in control of the situation through the rest of their two encounters.

The technical nous of Gopichand and the measured guidance of her parents – PV Ramana and P Vijaya, will all help Sindhu take flight to the next level by honing her game. As Sindhu evolves into a fully developed player in the next two to three years, one of the virtues she might seek to imbibe will be a healthy dose of patience.

Right now, it appears that the teenager is dependent heavily on her attacking instincts to unsettle her opponents. As more and more players gain an understanding of her game, Sindhu will need to embellish her defences further to enable her to wait for the right opportunity to sting her opponent with one of her sizzling smash winners.

Overall though, this has been a brilliant year for the up and coming Indian star. A couple of Grand Prix gold titles and a first ever medal from the World Championship are no small feats of excellence. There are some some who felt that the quality of opposition at Macau was underwhelming, but you cannot blame Sindhu for the women who did not turn up.

Obviously, the Indian has endured just as demanding a calendar as some of her other elite competitors and she was none the worse for the wear and tear. In fact, Sindhu looked robust and confident through her matches in the Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix. Admittedly there was the early stutter, but her only real challenge came in the form of Qin Jinjing in the semifinals.

The victory will give Sindhu much needed confidence for the many battles that lie ahead on her promising path. Already blessed with an imposing frame, Sindhu will possibly evolve further for at least another two years before blossoming into a fully developed athlete. The 18-year-old will look to shape her body and game in the intervening years to prepare for a lasting innings among the top echelon of badminton.