Badminton WC: Hats off to volunteers and BAI, says Sindhu after first-round win

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Star shuttler PV Sindhu lauded the efforts of the volunteers, support staff, government and the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for ensuring a well-organised World Championships, saying the support extended to the players had made her experience at the home event particularly positive.

“The conditions, whatever is said and done, the volunteers, the support staff, the government, and of course, the Badminton Association of India have put in a lot of effort,” the 2019 BWF World Championship winner Sindhu said after opening her campaign with a comfortable 21-7, 21-11 win over Ireland’s Sophia Noble on Monday.

The 31-year-old, who was attending her 10th World Championships and was aiming for her sixth medal, praised the attention to detail at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and stated that the players had received help at every stage.

“And I think from the water bottles to washrooms to changing rooms to everything, the court conditions, I think everything is brilliantly done, and I think there are people everywhere to tell us where to go, how to go,” she said. “I think that’s really, really good and hats off to the volunteers and of course, BAI for doing a great job.”

Sindhu also said the court conditions had impressed her after she got the opportunity to play her opening match at home.

“The conditions are pretty good, is what I feel. I mean, irrespective of whatever the match was, it was easy or, you know, easy scoring, easy scores. But I think it was important to go out there and see the court conditions and know how the schedule is. And I really, I mean, they’re really good; I really liked it. So, yeah, that’s my personal opinion.”

The support from the home crowd added another dimension to her return to the World Championships. Sindhu said walking onto the court with thousands of supporters cheering for her gave her an emotional lift.

“It was really good to get out of the court, and I could see a lot of people cheering and supporting me. I think that gave me a lot of confidence. Irrespective of who the opponent is, it was just that I had to play my game and give my best,” she said.

On the court, Sindhu gave a confident performance against Noble, who was ranked 141st. She quickly secured an 8-0 advantage in the first game and never let her opponent get settled, winning the first game 21 to 7. In the second game, Noble displayed more resistance and was only three points behind at the interval. After the break, however, Sindhu improved, securing the match by winning 10 of the next 13 points in 29 minutes.

Although the Indian acknowledged that nerves in the first match can have an effect on even the most experienced players, she was satisfied with the way she got settled in the contest.

“Yeah, I think definitely that does happen to a lot of athletes, including me, where, you know, the first time you’re getting onto the court, you don’t know how the conditions are, you’re a bit jittery, you make a lot more mistakes. And then slowly, you know, you get used to it.”

“But I think today I started well. I started with a big lead, even though I was giving two, three points here and there, but I still could maintain that lead. So, I think it was a good start for me, and I was comfortable throughout. So, that was good.”

Sindhu also refused to look too far ahead despite being one of the leading contenders for a medal.

“Right now, the medal is quite far away. For me, it’s just one match at a time. I have to give 100% in every match. It’s my first match, so I need to relax and focus on the next match. It’s just one match at a time for me, so I just have to give my best and play my game.”

She will next face Canada’s World No. 49 Wen Yu Zhang in the Round of 32.

–IANS

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