The BWF World Championships returned to India after 17 years, and there was plenty of anticipation among the home fans as they waited to see the Indian shuttlers in action. Though the day 1 began at 09:00 AM, the Indira Gandhi Arena started filling up around 4:30 pm. That was perhaps understandable on the opening day, but if the tournament is unable to draw even 60-70 per cent occupancy on a day when a tournament of such stature is happening in the country for the first time since 2009, it also highlights the need to do more to attract attention towards the event.
Several sections of the stands remained empty to boot.
The Indian women’s doubles pair gave the home fans plenty to celebrate. They dominated their opening match from the start, giving the Spanish pair of Pau Lopez and Lucia Rodrigues little opportunity to find their way back into the contest. She was also impressed with the conditions at the venue, although she admitted to having butterflies in her stomach when she stepped onto court to begin her campaign. For a player with her experience at the World Championships, that admission showed just how much playing in front of a home crowd still means. The first time you get onto the court, you don’t know how the conditions are. By the time Sindhu finished her opening match in style, another Indian youngster was waiting to begin his campaign. Ayush Shetty was under immense pressure as he faced the defending champion. With the pressure mounting on Ayush, the home fans made sure he did not feel alone. The cheers grew louder with every point as the Indian youngster battled to stay in the contest. It was one hell of a clash, and with the home crowd behind him every step of the way, Ayush delivered when it mattered most, and the crowd went berserk.
But the first big cheer from the home crowd came when Teressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand walked onto Court 1. Jolly and Gopichand never appeared to slow down and wrapped up the match 21-9 and 21-13 in convincing fashion. The young shuttler had the attention of the fans seated around Court 1, with many of them glued to the Indian players throughout their time on court.
Because the atmosphere is completely different when you play on your home ground, “When I was entering the court, I did have butterflies.
You’re a bit jittery, you make a lot more mistakes, and then slowly you get used to it,” Sindhu said.
