PV Sindhu’s mentor, Prakash Padukone, believes India has a strong chance of winning three badminton medals at the Paris Olympics, including a historic hat-trick for Sindhu. India’s seven-member badminton squad includes Sindhu, the high-flying men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and other promising players.
Padukone is confident in Sindhu’s ability to secure her third consecutive Olympic medal. “She has worked incredibly hard for that,” he said. “Her preparations have gone well, and she is playing well in practice sessions.”
Padukone has been focusing on improving Sindhu’s tactics and strategy on the court. “I am focusing on tactics and strategy on the court, on what strokes to use when, and a little to do with the mind,” he explained. “We’ve worked on her mental strength and strategy, ensuring she makes better use of the right strokes.”
Despite Sindhu’s lack of titles this year, Padukone believes her ability to perform under pressure will be an asset at the Olympics. “Expectations are lower, and even reaching the quarterfinals will be seen positively,” he said. “But I am looking beyond that. If she is able to reproduce the form, like what she’s doing in practice, I think she’ll do better than in past tournaments.”
Padukone also identified Rankireddy and Shetty in men’s doubles, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy in men’s singles as potential medal contenders. “We have a chance in all three events: men’s singles, women’s singles, and men’s doubles,” he said. “The men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been very consistent and have beaten top players.”
Badminton matches at the Paris Olympics will begin on Saturday, July 27. India’s strong squad and Padukone’s guidance give them a realistic chance of achieving their medal goals.
