Indian badminton star PV Sindhu appointed Anus Sridhar as the coach for the balance of the 2024 season.
Since her campaign at the Paris Olympics,’ followed by cutting ties with Indonesian Ag’s Dwi Santos, Sindhu has teamed up with Sridhar as she aims to end the biliousness on a high note.
They began working unitedly in early September at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Stadium, where Sridhar is overseeing Sindhu’s preparations for the next biliousness of the BWF World Championship 2024.
| Coach | Duration | Achievements |
|---|
| Park Tae Sang | Tokyo Olympics | Bronze at Tokyo 2020 Olympics |
| Vidhi Chaudhary | Short-term | Training before Tokyo Olympics |
| Muhammad Hafiz Hashim | Brief stint | Post-Tokyo preparations |
| Agus Dwi Santoso | Pre-Paris Olympics to 2024 | Coaching till Paris Olympics, 2024 exit |
Sindhu is likely to make her first appearance with Sridhar during the $420,000 Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, from October 8-13.
The tournament will also be her first competition, following a short hiatus after the Olympics. The $850,000 Denmark Open will follow that in Odense and is an important event for Sindhu to bounce back ahead of the 2024 BWF season finale.
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I am making a very strategic choice as Anup Sridhar says Sindhu
I am making a very strategic choice,” Sindhu remarked, confident that Sridhar will help her elevate her game.
- Arctic Open: Sindhu is expected to make her first appearance with Sridhar at the $420,000 Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, from October 8-13.
- Denmark Open: Following the Arctic Open, Sindhu will participate in the $850,000 Denmark Open in Odense, a critical event to set her momentum ahead of the 2024 BWF season finale.
A past international and Arjuna awarded, Anup Sridhar has seen badminton at the highest level.
He had worked as a coach with the likes of rising star Lakisha Sen and was regarded exceedingly for his schema on the court, along with being equipped to deal with top-tier talent.
Sindhi and her team knocked on the door of Sridhar soon,’ which resulted in talks translating to a partnership to get the past world super back on track for remaining part of the season. Sridhar also recognized the import of their new partnership and the prompt aims they share.
“We began training from the start of September and this is part of getting her ready for the European swing.
We will see how it goes, but Sindhu is in good form and she’s feeling confident,” Sridhar told Hindustan Times.
He said that even though they have already started working on aspects of Sindhu’s game, the next tournament or two will give them a better idea of how they can progress together as coach-athlete.
Talking about the new partnership, Sindhu’s father PV Ramana said: “Sridhar is a coach with a good reputation and we are also optimistic.
Anup is a good coach and how we will take it forward during the European season, but this has been very beneficial so far,” Ramana added. Lendl said a long-term coach would be picked following the European swing, which wraps up in November.
Next Phase Of Coaching Journey For Sindhu
Image Credit: Khelnow
Anup Sridhar joins the list of coaches under whom Sindhu has trained over the last few years, with the Rio Olympics silver medallist witnessing regular changes to her support staff.
She split from South Korean coach Park Tae Sang soon after the pair swam to bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and returned to Japan in early 2023.
Sindhu trained for a while under SAI coach Vidhi Chaudhary and then turned to former All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim as her next coach.
That association did not continue for long, with Sindhu shifting base to Bengaluru to join the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA).
Sindhu was coached at the PPBA by Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso, taking her through to the Paris Olympics, where she made a pre-quarterfinal exit, making it an outside chance of clinching a hat-trick of Olympic medals.
Sindhu had to part ways with Santoso after the Paris Games and she began looking for a coach by her side through the 2024 season.
Ramana, while speaking on Sridhar’s appointment, mentioned that this (his role) is temporary and maybe it will change after the European tournament outcomes.
“We will decide whether we should have a long-term coach in November after the completion of the European season. The emphasis is on her current performance and the future of Sindhu’s game.”
Next up: Arctic Open and Denmark Open
Sridhar is currently tasked with preparing Sindhu for two major tournaments:
- Arctic Open (Finland): Sindhu’s first post-Olympics World Tour event.
- Denmark Open: A Super 750 event, where Sindhu will face some of the world’s top players.
PV Sindhu will first play at the Arctic Open in Finland and then Denmark Open in Odense.
These tournaments are important for Sindhu as she looks to recover her lost ground after a difficult year on the professional circuit.
The Arctic Open will be the first World Tour event Sindhu takes part in since the Olympics, giving her a chance to test her fitness and return under coach Anup Sridhar.
Next up is the prestigious Super 750 event on the BWF calendar – the Denmark Open. Sindhu will now adjust under the guidance of Sridhar in a field that has some of the cream crowd, and her potential to adapt to his coach’s strategies would be crucial for how well she performs throughout this tournament.
After the European stint, Sindhu has the option of playing some Asian tournaments followed by three back-to-back BWF events in India in November to close her season.
Anup Sridhar and his partnership with Sindhu will be in the focus now as she enters into a new chapter of her career. The two have a busy schedule, with plenty to prove for the rest of 2024.
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References:
Firstpost.com
HindustanTimes.com
