Interview: Training stint in Prague helped says Anup Sridhar

Anup Sridhar in action for the Pune Pistons during the IBL

It’s been a while since Anup Sridhar made the news. The Yonex Czech International victory in late September broke a long spell without a title, but Anup concedes that he still has a long way to go. Having just arrived in Bangalore, Anup talks of the title win and the season ahead:

The Czech International was your first title in over a year. Was it a relief to finally get back to winning ways and did you do anything differently to win?

The win felt good. This was a decently contested tournament. The tournament was in Brno, around two hours from Prague. I spent 12 days in Prague, training with (international player) Petr Koukal and coach Dicky Palyama. Palyama’s still hard to beat. I had a superb 12 days. There was an unbelievably excellent facility. It’s a different training system in Europe. They believe in short and intense sessions. Dicky’s European, but he’s from Indonesia, so he’s found a balance. The training’s changing in Europe. There’s a lot more physical work than earlier, a lot more work in the gym, a lot of running. Europeans are naturally strong. Training’s now becoming similar all over the world. Europeans have realised they can’t have success with lesser physical training.

And sport science…?

I did a session of cryotherapy in Prague. It’s a tiny wooden room, in which you have to stay for 2-1/2 minutes. The temperature is kept at -120 deg Celsius. It’s crazy. You can’t sit or your blood will freeze. You have to keep moving around. Once you come out, you have to go to the gym and run a bit to get your body going again. I did it because of a dare – because Petr told me there was no way I could do it. All the best Czech athletes go there. It reduces inflammation and it’s good for immunity.

What was the experience during the tournament?

In the second round and the semifinals, I had match point in the second game, but was taken to the third game in both. It was very annoying. In one I had a high shuttle at the net and tapped it long. I was cramping after the semifinals. I did a couple of hours of recovery exercises, and felt superb on the morning of the final.

And winning the title? Did it feel special to win after a prolonged spell without a title?

It didn’t feel like anything. I was happy to get the title and 4000 ranking points. But, honestly, I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve had a few injury-free months, and that’s made the difference.

I’m ranked 94 now, and I’m going to play a lot of tournaments. There are four lined up this year. I want to play as many tournaments as possible, because you give yourself more chances that way. If you lose early in one, your confidence goes down. Confidence is the most difficult thing to get.

Looking back, how has your game evolved with time?

I’m not as quick; I need to lose some weight. I’m a whole lot smarter. I’m spending more time thinking about the game, but I don’t want to make too many adjustments. The only way you can win is by being explosive, because these days, everybody has a good defence.

There was a time earlier this year when you lost four straight first-round matches…

It was terrible. That was because I wasn’t playing enough tournaments. You have to give yourself enough opportunities. I decided after the IBL that I could invest my money into playing tournaments. I was playing well in practice.

What did the win over Hu Yun in the IBL mean to you?

Just that one match made all the difference in the world. People took notice. It feels nice. I also felt more sure of my decisions. The IBL was a superb experience. We had the best team and the best team spirit.