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Badminton is a sport that demands a lot of fitness, concentration and above all, the determination to put in the best efforts to get the better of the opponent in play. While professionals train day in and day out to achieve or play to their best potential, it is imperative that they applaud and appreciate their coaching staff or support system behind the scenes, who have inspired these players to go the extra mile.
The rise of Indian badminton has to be attributed to the coaching staff, which has been led fabulously well by head coach Pullela Gopichand and assisted by the others. However, the spirit does not stop there. There have been numerous instances when Indian shuttlers have praised fellow players or also credited opponents for their success.
Here are five such times when Indian Shuttlers found a special place in fans' hearts with touching gestures.
Saina Nehwal credits Pullela Gopichand for victory over PV Sindhu at Senior National Championships
Saina Nehwal went head to head against P.V Sindhu in the recently concluded Senior National Badminton Championships where the world number two overcame a stiff challenge from Sindhu to emerge victorious in the end.
Saina took a sizeable 17-12 lead in the first game but Sindhu reduced it to 18-17 only to see Saina take three back-to-back points to seal the game in her favour. In the next game, it was a case of role reversal as Sindhu ran away with the lead but Saina's experience played a huge part as she fought through to register a tough 27-25 win and clinch the title.
In the end, Saina took the opportunity to thank chief coach Pullela Gopichand's influence on her win.
"I would like to thank Gopi sir and the team for working on my movement and helping me improve my game. They have played quite an important role in this win," she said, citing Gopichand to be a major reason for her win.
Srikanth wins hearts with beautiful tribute to coach Mulyo Handoyo
When chief coach Pullela Gopichand roped in Indonesian Mulyo Handoyo to work as the assistant coach for the Indonesian Open, Handoyo obliged and was a massive addition to the team, given his past experience in mentoring one of the greatest badminton players of all time, Taufik Hidayat.
Ahead of the tournament, Handoyo mentioned that he saw a future champion in Srikanth and that could not have come at a better time as the Hyderabad-born player beat Japanese challenger Kazumasa Sakai in two straight games in the final of the Indonesian Open, to trigger wild celebrations in the Indian camp.
The joy could be seen in heaps and bounds as Srikanth, right after hitting the winning smash, dropped his racquet and sprinted toward coach Handoyo as the two embraced in joy. In the post-match interview, Shrikant emphasised on Handoyo's contribution to his victory
“His contribution to my game has been incredible,” Srikanth said. “He has already made a special place in my heart," indicating the Indonesian's success.
PV Sindhu shows her respect for the game by picking up Carolina Marin's racquet after Rio 2016 final
PV Sindhu bagged the headlines after clinching the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, after losing to Spain's Carolina Marin in the finals of the women's singles category. However, she won hearts with a unique gesture that only exhibited her class and respect for the game and her opponents.
The Spaniard, after having brought her A-game on the day and breaking every last sweat to get the better of Sindhu, sent out a thundering roar as she knelt to the ground after scoring the final point to clinch the match.
Sindhu too, sat on the court for a few seconds as she collected herself, having fallen agonisingly short of a win. However, she was back up and walked to the chair umpire, shook hands and waved to the crowd, in acknowledgment of their support.
She then went up to Marin, helped her to her feet and embraced her, after which, she did something which was cannot be seen every day. Sindhu picked up Marin's racquet, which was lying on the court and neatly placed it next to Marin's bag and walked toward her coach Gopichand.
Although this was all done in a matter of seconds, it spoke highly of Sindhu's commitment to the game and the values she had learned through the sport that had given her so much in life.
PV Sindhu wins fans' hearts with amazing gesture at French Open Super Series
PV Sindhu found a special place in a little fan's heart when she obliged to give away a towel to a little boy, who asked for it to keep it as memorabilia. In addition to this, the shuttler also agreed to pose for selfies with fans as she watched her countrymen HS Prannoy and Srikanth Kidambi in action during the tournament.
Having set up a finals clash with Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in the singles category of the French Open Superseries, Sindhu was at the stadium cheering on the two men as they battled for a spot in the finals.
HS Prannoy pays huge tribute to Parupalli Kashyap after defeating him in the US Open final
Friendships are a huge part of sports and it's always a special moment when those friendships blossom and guide a sports star to put in their best to win.
Such was the case for HS Prannoy, who beat his training partner and friend Parupalli Kashyap in the finals of the US Open GP Gold by winning two games out of three. The title was Prannoy's first of 2017 and he took the opportunity to thank his finals' opponent Kashyap for the win.
In an interview with Sportskeeda post his win, Prannoy praised Kashyap's style of play right through the tournament and also went on to opine that it was Kashyap's best performance over time.
Having clinched the title only a week after turning 25, Prannoy said, "I'm very happy for him. He had a long layoff and it's amazing the way he played the last few matches. It's really motivating for us as junior players as well."
