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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, one of India's most prolific stars in the Men's Doubles section, recently divulged his difficult journey and the special bond that he shares with his doubles partner, Chirag Shetty.
As the duo of Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament and willl be aiming for a medal finish, they are India's only seeded men's doubles pair going into the Badminton Asia Championships 2023.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, the 22-year-old spoke about how they have a packed calendar all around the year, leaving them with no time to celebrate even after winning the highest laurels at tournaments. Rankireddy said:
"Nowadays there is no time to celebrate either, we have back-to-back tournaments all the time. So it feels really long since we won the Swiss Open but it hasn't been very long - it was just two weeks ago."
He also went on to speak about how he and Chirag Shetty have gotten better at handling pressure:
"Going ahead in the Asian Championships, we are taking it one step at a time. The more you expect, the better we are performing. Think we can handle the pressure now. Expectations are not a problem for us."
Speaking of what Rankireddy was personally working on ahead of the tournament, he revealed that staying physically fit is of prime importance to him as he can deliver his best performances when his body is in pristine shape. He added:
"Right now, personally, I am just taking better care of your body. I'm giving more and more time to my body. When my body is perfect, only then can I play my all-out game. We have a lot of tournaments so my main concern is my body and injury concerns."
Although Rankireddy regrets having lost the Badminton Asia Championships last year, they will be eyeing one this season having qualified for the playoffs. He expects the tournament to be a good preparation platform for the upcoming Asian Games as well. He stated:
"We wanted a medal at the Badminton Asia Championships last year but we lost. But definitely, winning a medal here will give us a boost for the Asian Games as well. If we go deep into the tournament, it's going to be fun."
The hardworking shuttler from Andhra Pradesh also went on to speak about the impact that the Premier Badminton League has had on his game and how he developed a good bond with his teammates during the tournament. He said:
"There is a lot to learn when you play in the Premier Badminton League. So personally, I feel that because of the PBL I only got a chance in the national side. The people in my team helped me a lot. People like Carolina Marin got close to me and even now if I want to talk, I can message them. They are open twenty-four hours for me."
"It's really important how you get to learn a lot from other players. I always wanted a good bond with my team and I got that, I understand how they play. PBL is a great thing to have happen to our country. All the Olympic champions were there in my team so that helped me a lot too. I'm really grateful for that."
Opening up about his camaraderie with Chirag Shetty, Rankireddy spoke about how the pair play pranks on others but revealed that he is yet to play a prank on Chirag:
"We both play pranks on others, but I haven't played a prank on Chirag yet."
On being asked how the younger generation of players have benefited from the development of the sport, Rankireddy divulged that he was impressed with the facilities and opportunities available for the younger players.
He also spoke about his struggles during his early days and how he battled financial hardships:
"I think the facilities and opportunities have increased compared to earlier. When I started playing, there were financial issues for me. I was from a small town and I wanted to win big tournaments. I had to spend more than ten lakhs - it was really tough for my parents to do that."
"Now this generation has got a lot of opportunities and help from the government. Tournaments like Khelo Indian Games have come forth while there are foundations too which help players. They get a lot of experience and they don't have anything to lose so they can play freely."
"There is a path till a certain level but to cross that, it was very tough. We have a lot more professionals and coaches than before too."
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action on April 28, 2023 in the quarter-finals of the Men's Doules section at the Badminton Asia Championships 2023. They will take on the duo of third-seeded Indonesian shuttlers Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
