"I have been written off so many times in my entire career" - HS Prannoy reflects on his badminton journey

HS Prannoy is currently the face of Indian men's singles The Keralite broke onto the scene 13 years ago as a junior, and looked like one of India's most promising up and coming youths at the time. However, injuries and issues with form meant that Prannoy was pushed to the back, as his fellow players and juniors like Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen took center stage.

Now, well over a decade after his initial claim to fame, the 31-year old has finally carved a name for himself in the badminton world and Indian sporting history, and he doesn't plan on going anywhere else anytime soon.

Reflecting on his now admirably decorated career, HS Prannoy says that there were plenty of naysayers along the way, but they only worked to spur him on.

“I have been written off so many times in my entire career. I’m glad it has been this way because my perception of learning has evolved over the years. Post 26-27 is when I realized that we can still do new things to keep improving and excel,” the shuttler told the Deccan Herald.

He went on to add that his age hadn't hindered success, and that his 2023 season was proof of it.

“Age is just a number. It was a brilliant season for me. The first few months were slow and then I performed well post April when I began playing a lot of good badminton and got deep into tournaments,” he added.

Now that HS Prannoy is finally at the height of his powers, he plans to stay there for a while. With the Olympics approaching, the Indian isn’t focused on a singular event, and is instead more concerned about long term consistency.

“I’m not looking at just one or two events. In fact, I’m thinking long term and want to improve. 2023 was my best and I want to do better than that in 2024 and 2025. For me, it is a bit of an ultra long plan, I just want to continue playing well for the next 3-4 years,” he said.

HS Prannoy on his bond with Pullela Gopichand

For HS Prannoy, the difficult transition from just another player to the World No. 8 wouldn't have been possible without one person - his coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand.

After nearly 15-years together, Gopichand has quite literally seen Prannoy grow up, and even the shuttler admits he's spent more time with his coach than his parents at this point.

“I have been training with Gopi bhaiya for the last 15 years. I have been with him more than my parents to be honest. That bond is very strong. He is very proud of me over the fact that I never gave up on playing at the highest level despite recurring hurdles,” Prannoy told the Deccan Herald.

Gopichand had earlier lauded the World Championships bronze-medalist for his immense strength and grit, saying that he had never seen an athlete carry such a heavy burden.

Fans got to see proof of Gopichand’s attachment to HS Prannoy when the typically poker-faced coach cried tears of joy at the Asian Games, when the 31-year old pulled off an impossibly difficult win in the quarterfinals to guarantee himself a bronze. Prannoy reflected on his Asian Games journey that made his coach so emotional.

"I was not able to get up the day before traveling to Hangzhou. From being in such a situation to medal at the Games was something none of us expected. Having witnessed my struggles throughout those 10 days, I guess, made him (Gopichand) emotional,” he said.