Q\ Covid-19 made 2020 an unprecedented year. How do you assess the preparations of the Indian badminton team for the Tokyo Olympics?
A\ Luckily for us, we still have time. Players needed this break also, so I do not see much of an issue with that. It is going to be a challenging year. We start off with two tournaments in the first two weeks of January. The players are experienced and we should be on schedule regarding our preparations for the Olympics. 2020 was a tough year and players were looking forward to the Olympics from February. We had to encounter surprising circumstances, but our players are used to dealing with issues. Luckily for us, things seem to be on track. Tournaments in January will tell us where exactly we stand. We will take necessary actions after that.
Q\ How did you approach the long break in 2020?
A\ The break was needed because the players were taking part in a lot of tournaments. If things had gone back to normal in August-September, it would have been perfect. But in the last three to four months, players were itching to get back and start playing. From a career perspective, it depends on who takes what out of it—some of the players would have come out stronger physically and mentally, and some careers would have finished by the end of it. So, we will have to wait and see until some tournaments happen.
Q\ When players returned after the break, what did you observe in terms of their fitness and training?
A\ They came back well. The present lot of players, the seniors particularly, has the muscle memory to come back quickly. There is no rustiness. If there is, it is on the physical front. If you have about a month of training, they are back physically as well. For me, the challenge is more with the younger players who have lost a year-and-a-half in momentum compared with the seniors.
Q\ P.V. Sindhu is training abroad. How is she shaping up?
A\ I think the proof of the pudding is when you play the tournament. That will decide where we are. Sometimes in training, we do not have similar competition. Wherever she is, she will have younger players to play with. So eventually, how well she trained and where she stands will be seen in the tournaments.
Q\ How are you managing the return and workload of players who had the virus?
A\ Satwik (Sairaj Rankireddy) came through after a prolonged spell of Covid-19 infection. It affects people differently. Satwik has put on a little bit of weight, so we are focussing on the physical strength since he came back. He has actually done a good job, so hopefully he should be in perfect shape before the tournaments. Saina [Nehwal], [Parupalli] Kashyap and [H.S.] Prannoy have been a little tired in the last few days, but they have been asymptomatic for the most part of it. Their lungs have not really been affected. That is the feedback. I think they will come back soon.