Sindhu’s big challenge will be learning to trust her body again

Two former world No.ls, Nehwal and Gade, weigh in on the challenges ahead of the 30-year-old

- Sandip Sikdar

For about a decade, PV Sindhu was undeniably India’s best bet going into any tournament on the BWF circuit. Consistency and an injury free-reign were the hallmarks of her long career that yielded two Olympic and five World Championships medals in addition to several other titles arguably making her the country’s greatest female athlete.

But the last couple of years haven't exactly turned out as she'd have liked. Consistency and being injury free — the two things that set the former world champion apart are exactly which have gone amiss resulting in the 30-year-old winning just one title — the 2024 Syed Modi International —in the last three years.

“Sindhu is still there but after a certain point you start getting injured. After you play for so many years, the body obviously catches up, you know your knees and ankles, and it irritates. But she is trying to do her best,” said Saina Nehwal, the original superstar of Indian badminton.

“She started winning at the highest level at 17-18, beating players like Carolina (Marin) and Tai Tzu Ying. She is definitely a fighter on court who doesn’t give up easily. But the body and injuries were not this bad earlier.”