How Prannoy rebooted his game to start soaring again

Omission from the Olympics in 2021 was a big low, but a total overhaul of his training has helped the world No. 9 find consistency, success

- Ashish Magotra

So much of modern sport is about the highlight reel. Many fans don't have the time to sit and watch an entire game, so they fall back on the curated highlights reel the best moments, the best shots, the best points. It makes you feel like you haven't missed out.

But at the same time so much of sport is not about the highlight reel. Rather it is about the smaller moments-the set-up, the long rallies, the hustle, the points that seemingly don't matter - and that is exactly what HS Prannoy is getting right these days. The things you often miss but the ones that no player can win without.

Prannoy, now India's highest-ranked badminton player at world No. 9, has always been the kind of player who could cause an upset or two early in a tournament. He's always had that kind of gamepower when he needs it, good movement, and net play too. But he rarely if ever managed to reproduce the same level of play in the later rounds.

For that to happen, he needed consistency of stroke, of fitness, of mental strength. Often at the business end of a tournament, he would find himself abandoned by those very qualities.

After a phase just before the Tokyo Olympics when he seemed to be in free fall due to injury and poor form, Prannoy told himself that he didn't just want to make up the numbers. He wanted to win. So, he decided to step back, take a breath and figure out how he wanted to play.