“I’ll try not to play many tournaments” - HS Prannoy on the months leading up to the Paris Olympics 2024

Leading Indian men’s singles shuttler HS Prannoy has mathematically already secured his berth for the Paris Olympics. The Indian shuttler is currently ranked seventh in the world and will certainly be one of India’s medal hopefuls in Paris.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Prannoy divulged his plan for the months leading up to the Olympics, shedding light on his tournament schedule and how he plans to remain injury-free during this crucial period.

Reflecting on the journey ahead, Prannoy outlined his tournament schedule and talked about his approach to ensuring peak performance in Paris.

“I think we have quite a number of tournaments leading up to Paris. I think it's a very normal schedule for badminton in general. I think we have almost five months to Paris and we might have to end up playing around eight to ten tournaments still to kind of maintain your rankings," he said.

Prannoy also emphasized the importance of consistently maintaining his ranking within the top eight.

“Especially for somebody like me, I think it's very important to be staying in the top eight consistently, and that's the target, which I think is going to make a big difference," he added.

Prannoy went on to speak about the hectic schedule and recognized the need for strategic rest periods in between and said:

“I think for me personally, it would be the preparation whenever you are getting two to three weeks of training. I think the most important changes are going to happen in those kinds of windows.

"So I will be playing but I'll try not to play many tournaments in the coming four or five months. We'll be playing very selective tournaments and focusing more on the preparation side of playing in the bigger events as such.” He stated.

As the Olympic window approaches, Prannoy also emphasized the need for meticulous load management and respect for one's body. He said:

"Obviously, getting into this kind of window, I think it becomes even more crucial to kind of manage the load in the correct way, and even if you have a niggle, I think you'll have to kind of respect that niggle and give time for your body to recover from that, so I think these kinds of decisions are going to be big getting into the next few months for me.”

HS Prannoy on the importance of injury management

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy suffered his most recent injury at the Asian Games last year. The 31-year-old was in no rush to get back to court after hurting his back and took his time before making his comeback.

Acknowledging the inherent risks of injury in such a fast-paced sport, Prannoy spoke about the importance of injury prevention and management.

“It's always an aim for any athlete out there to kind of play without any injuries. But I think being such a fast sport, it's very tough to keep away injuries. It's important to constantly monitor your loads and monitor how much you're pushing on court and off and kind of back off and training whenever it's needed so that you're not ending up with bigger injuries as such," he concluded.