I feel 100 per cent because of the training and practice, says PV Sindhu on her England stint

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has been training at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) in England since October, trying to perfect both her fitness and nutrition. She has been sharing glimpses of her training on her social media handles as she looks to make her return in the Asian leg of the BWF tournaments, which starts in January.

The silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics has been training in the UK alongside British shuttlers Toby Penty and Rajiv Ouseph. While speaking to the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) website, PV Sindhu explained how it was different for her to train in England, which helps her learn various skills.

"It’s a different kind of feeling here. Different places to train, it’s something new and I am learning new things. Every player has a different game. They have different mindsets and I take different approaches from coaches and players."

She also mentioned how Raj Ouseph has a different approach to other players in terms of his defense.

“One player might say my defence is weak and Raj (Ouseph) would say ‘Ok, this is what you need to do,’ so it’s really good to get that perspective.” Sindhu stated.

The break has helped me: PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu last played a game in March at the All England Open and has not played a competitive badminton match since then. She was set to return in the Uber Cup in October, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her comeback. The Indian ace shuttler also withdrew from the Denmark Open due to concerns about the pandemic.

The 25-year-old said that she wanted to continue her training and she doesn't want to stop while she is in England.

"I did not want to stop my training. Badminton is restarting for me in January. Hopefully, everything will be fine and I shouldn’t stop my training while I’m in England.”

PV Sindhu said that she feels 100% ahead of her return to competition, mentioning how the break without back-to-back matches has led her to grow both physically and mentally.

“I feel 100 per cent, because of the training and the practicing,” Sindhu said. “I’ve got the time without back-to-back tournaments to improve on a few things like my strokes and fitness level." said Sindhu. I’m mentally and physically stronger because of the break. I’m fit and fine and really looking forward to Thailand."

The Asian leg of the BWF tournaments will kick off with the Thailand Open starting from January 12th, which will then be followed by the BWF World Tour Finals.