New year means fresh resolve for PV Sindhu going into India Open

The former world champion and Olympic medallist is determined at 29 to achieve fresh goals

- Sandip Sikdar

NEW DELHI: After shooting a promotional video for India Open at a hotel here, PV Sindhu settled into a chair with a grin. The happiness was reminiscent of the days when the 29-year-old was starting out. After all, it is not just a New Year and new season for the former world champion, but also a new journey, having tied the knot last month.

Though her form wasn't anywhere near her peak level last year, Sindhu still managed to win her first title since the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 when she clinched the Syed Modi India International crown in Lucknow in December.

"It was very important to have that win. It gave me a big boost. It had been quite a while since I had won a title (28 months).

"I had been playing quarters, semis, finals. But that win gave me that confidence. It is always good to end the season with a win and have that confidence going forward," said the world No. 14.

With a title behind her, Sindhu is eager to step on court at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex to get her season going, especially with a new coach in her corner. Indonesian Irwansyah Adi Pratama has been roped in to coach India's female singles shuttlers and the two-time Olympic medallist believes she can return to winning ways.

"We've just started. Bonding is very important between a coach and an athlete so it will definitely take time, but I am really looking forward for it to happen. There have been some training sessions and I am beginning to understand what he's thinking," the five-time World Championship medallist said.

"It's very new. He is trying to understand how I am thinking, what I am doing, what needs to be done. Accordingly, we're working together and strategising. He's a good coach, the right coach for me."

The first objective for Irwansyah will be to help Sindhu beat the best in the business, which she has fallen short of most times in the last couple of years.