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What’s the story?
Having clinched medals at the Olympic Games and the World Championships, Indian badminton queen PV Sindhu has now another important goal -- to climb to the pinnacle of the world rankings. Sindhu, who is currently placed at fourth in the world rankings, has achieved a career-high ranking of No. 2, but has failed to dethrone Tai Tzu Ying from the top spot.
“I am trying to be World No.1. Now my dream is to become World No. 1 and definitely it’s in progress. I would want to see myself there,” the 22-year-old told on the sidelines of a promotional event in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
In case you didn’t know
Sindhu started the 2018 season on a bright note, winning nine of her 11 singles matches. She finished as the runner-up at the India Open in a nail-biting three-game final to Beiwen Zhang and then remained unbeaten in singles at the Badminton Asia Team Championships the very next week.
The heart of the matter
The Rio Olympic silver medallist said that her first dream was to play for India when she was introduced to badminton at the age of eight. Ever since she accomplished that, she has always dreamed about being on the top of the world someday.
Sindhu also revealed that her mother has been her inspiration all along and her parents have played a major role in keeping her motivated. The shuttle sensation also said that being grounded is the most important thing, no matter how much success one attains.
What’s next?
Sindhu’s next tournament is the prestigious All England Open, which starts on March 6. She has been seeded fourth there and begins her campaign against the 20-year-old Pornpawee Chochuwong, a former World Junior Championships silver medallist.
She is slated for a blockbuster quarter-final showdown with the world champion Nozomi Okuhara.
Author’s take
Sindhu has shown incredible consistency and fighting spirit over the past one year that has brought her this far. If she can hold her nerves in the dying stages of the big finals, she would definitely be able to convert those second-place finishes into title wins, which would take her closer to the highly-coveted No. 1 ranking.
