Maintaining the Paris Olympics in thoughts, star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has employed an Indonesian coach to assist him ramp up his recreation within the run-up to subsequent yr’s showpiece.
The qualification interval for the 2024 Olympics started from Might 1 and Srikanth, who has been scuffling with kind, has availed the companies of Wiempie Mahardi to assist him prepare.
“I’ve been making an attempt to get a coach since December 2021, when Agus left. Now I’ve an Indonesian coach Wiempie Nahardi. I met him once I went to Indonesia to coach for 3 weeks. He got here to India in final week of April,” former world primary Srikanth informed PTI.
India are but to nominate a overseas coach for males’s singles gamers because the abrupt departure of Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso in December 2021. After PV Sindhu parted methods with Park Tae Sang in February, the Korean has been serving to out the boys’s singles gamers.
“I used to be making an attempt to get a coach via TOPS however someway, it didn’t work out. In January, I had despatched SAI the proposal and since then it has been on maintain. Because the Olympic qualification interval was additionally beginning in Might, I couldn’t maintain any longer, so I made a decision to do it myself,” Srikanth mentioned.
A former world prime 25 participant, Mahardi has greater than 10 years of teaching expertise, having skilled gamers in numerous golf equipment throughout nations.
Srikanth achieved unprecedented success in 2017 when Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo had taken over the coaching tasks. The Indian went on to win 4 titles that season. One other Indonesian coach, Agus Dwi Santoso, had an affect on him when he joined the Indian set-up in 2020.
“I don’t assume it (a private coach) will work for everybody however it labored for me prior to now. When Mulyo was there, I did rather well, and Agus was there I did effectively. So this Indonesian model works for me, that’s why I wanted a coach.
“It isn’t simple to play and not using a coach, I imply that’s the minimal requirement for a participant,” mentioned the participant who’s managed by Baseline Ventures.
Nonetheless, Srikanth didn’t get the time to coach along with his new coach as he participated within the choice trials for the Asian Video games. He completed on the prime with six wins in as many matches to qualify for the person occasions.
“I couldn’t actually prepare with him as a result of after I got here again from Asia Badminton championships, I didn’t have any time. I had simply two days earlier than the trials and two days after the trials. After the upcoming Asian occasions, I hope to get a while to coach with him.” Srikanth has endured a tricky 2023, managing one quarterfinal end in seven tournaments, which noticed his rating slip from world quantity 13 to 22.
“I used to be taking part in effectively previous few occasions however simply couldn’t win these shut matches. As soon as I begin doing that it’ll make an enormous distinction. Let’s see what I can get out of the subsequent 4 tournaments that I’m taking part in.
“Badminton additionally retains evolving, there might be somebody who will come and dominate and other people should provide you with an alternate formulation.” Srikanth had gained a world championships silver in 2021 earlier than guiding India to a historic Thomas Cup win final yr.
“I’ve carried out effectively in 2021 and 2022 until Commonwealth Video games after which others slowly began getting higher and I’ll have stayed there. You consistently have to maintain enhancing, and that’s additionally an essential purpose to have a coach,” he mentioned.
With solely the highest 20 gamers handed direct entry into the Asian Video games, the 30-year-old from Guntur, ranked twenty second, needed to take part within the choice trials for the primary time.
“I feel it’s the first time that I performed a trial for Asian Video games. I’m okay with it so long as there’s a mounted rule. In fact, it’s little tiring, because it has been some time that I performed two matches in sooner or later,” mentioned Srikanth.
“The youthful gamers gained’t really feel it however it was powerful for me to play two matches. Once I was 19-20, I used to play 5-6 video games a day, my physique took that load then however I can’t put my physique via it now. Additionally the Olympic qualification interval has began and it’s a problem for the gamers.” Subsequent up for Srikanth is the Sudirman Cup, a blended group championships starting in Suzhou, China from Might 14.
“We now have a powerful group, however we have to carry out, prefer it occurred in Thomas cup. I feel we now have a greater group. In earlier years, we used to have good singles after which miss out in doubles. This time we now have a really robust singles and doubles,” he mentioned.
India have been drawn with Malaysia, Chinese language Taipei, Australia in Group C.
“Final time in Thomas Cup, in each tie Satwik and Chirag gained, it made an enormous distinction. In a lot of the previous Sudirman Cups, lots of time we misplaced 3-2, it’s about that one doubles win in opposition to groups like Malaysia, Taipei, Japan or Korea, so they may make an enormous distinction.
“With our males’s and girls’s doubles doing effectively, it offers us a clearly higher likelihood this time.”