New Delhi: Following a gritty campaign at the BWF World Championships that culminated in a historic women’s doubles bronze for Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, chief national coach Pullela Gopichand is planning for the road ahead.
It’s a bit unfortunate she lost the way she did. With the Asian Games in Japan looming, Gopichand emphasised on a tailored, highly professional approach for the Indian contingent, backed by specialised coaching units and a renewed focus on squad camaraderie. “Sindhu’s match was a bit too close. He praised rising talent Ayush Shetty. I don’t specifically know what the reasons were in that sense.”
But going back to her Japan Open win and her performance here, she’s definitely doing very well,” said the 52-year-old. Asked about Lakshya Sen’s struggle, after the India men’s No.1 lost in the second round, he said: “This tournament was bad, unfortunately.
Because there was a good amount of spin and tumble on the serve, “They were serving very well. “They are all now in a stage of their career where they are professional. They have a team to work with. Some of them are playing tournaments like the China Open… so we get back to work. Gopichand also expects the squad’s collective spirit to be a driving force, drawing parallels with recent team successes. “The team is really pumped up. Like the Thomas Cup, the players themselves do a lot of work to get together and build camaraderie. That is what we are hoping for.
“As of now, what’s happening is that each one has a dedicated team allotted to them,” said Gopichand, confirming the specialised support for a broad group including Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, and Devika Sihag. “Whatever we’ve worked on in the last six weeks has helped, and it’s good to see when the practice you do actually gives you dividends on the court,” Gopichand said. What happens is the moment you push it, the next return is very fast, and then you are engaging in the parallel game,” he said.
