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What's the story?
India's doubles player Shlok Ramchandran has taken an indefinite sabbatical from professional badminton. The 24-year-old made his decision public with a tweet, saying that he wants to move on from the sport and pursue other dreams and aspirations.
The background
Ramchandran was one of India's rising stars in the doubles category. He had grabbed the headlines by finishing second in the 2014 edition of the Tata Open. He played with Sanyam Shukla in the initial phases of his doubles career before forming a partnership with Arjun M.R. The Indian player had achieved a world ranking of 32 in June 2018 after winning multiple championships with Arjun.
The heart of the matter
Ramchandran wrote on Twitter,
"I have decided to take an indefinite sabbatical from professional badminton. After spending 7 years at the national centre, I think it's time to move on and pursue other dreams and aspirations."
In his long message, Ramchandran thanked everyone who had played a role in his journey on the badminton court. He expressed his gratitude towards both his doubles partners, mentioning that he played his best badminton with them.
Ramchandran shared the details of his dream and wrote:
"I stepped on to the court for the very first time when I was 8 and in the past 16 years it's given me so much more than I ever dreamed (sic) off, from being the part of the Maharashtra team for the first time in 2007 to being the part of the Thomas Cup team in 2018, it's been an incredible journey. This sport has given me friends and mentors as well as loads of memories which I would cherish for the rest of my life."
He even thanked his coaches before showing appreciation to Uday Pawar and the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where he trained in his junior days.
The 2019 Ghana International winner signed off with the following statement:
"Finally, a big big thank you to my parents and my extended family for everything. I will still be associated with the sport in some form in the near future. Looking forward to what life has in store for me in this new chapter."
What's next?
It will be interesting to see what's next for Ramchandran as he looks to start a new chapter in his life.
