For the first time in their history, India will be taking not one but Woman shuttlers to participate in the Singles category at an Olympic Games. Joining Saina Nehwal for Rio 2016 will be PV Sindhu, who will be competing at her maiden Summer Games.
A lot of the Indian athletes have started leaving for Brazil in batches and the 21-year-old felt that the reason for the early departure was because they wanted to get acclimatised to the conditions in Brazil and the week long preparations will be vital, heading into the event.
"Adapting to conditions is important. The conditions need to be suitable for us. So we are leaving early. We don't know how it would be. There will be drift and we will be practising for a week so we will be used to the court. So it will be an important week in Rio," Sindhu said.
The 21-year-old has a tough draw at Rio, with her Round of 16 opponent likely to be Tzu Ying Tai, who is considered among the trickiest opponents in the game today. Talking about the challenge that lies ahead of her, The two-time World Championships bronze medalist said that she had indeed got a tough draw and added that the Chinese Taipei shuttler could be beaten.
“It is not an easy draw. It is going to be tough from the first round itself. I've Li Michelle and another girl in my group. After the league, I think I will play Tai Tzu Ying. So it is one by one for me.
“She is a difficult opponent, her game is very different from others and she has good strokes. It is not that she is unbeatable. If I am ready for it I can beat her," she said.
Sindhu further said that while she knew how to perform on the big stage, her progress at Rio will depend on whether she can deliver on that particular day and added that she has learnt from her past mistakes.
"Experience is important but then how you play on the given day also matters. Sometimes even the experienced ones make mistakes. Experience matters but luck also matters.
"This season, I played so many tournaments as it was a crucial year. Sometimes I was playing well and sometimes not.I learnt from my mistakes. I played against all of them, all the top players. Everybody has a different style of play and it was a good learning experience and I think it will help at the Olympics,” she said.
When asked whether she would under pressure to deliver, Sindhu said that the pressure will always be there in an athlete’s career, but that was no reason to feel bogged down.
"Pressure is always there. But we need not get bogged down by that. It is part of an athlete's life. I am really excited to play at Olympics. We are leaving on August 2nd. The draws are also out,” she said.
