India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu has teamed up with
former badminton player Prakash Padukone ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, she
announced on Saturday.
Currently ranked World No.11 Sindhu took to X to
announce that Prakash has assumed the role of mentor as she is seeking to bring
the best out of her ahead of the major tournaments that lie ahead of the stat
shuttler.
“For those wondering and constantly asking me, the cat
is finally out of the bag!! Prakash sir is assuming the role of the mentor in
my setup. I started training with him at the end of August, and it’s been
uphill ever since.
He’s more than a mentor; he’s my guide, my guru, and,
above all, a true friend. I wholeheartedly believe he possesses the magic to
bring out the absolute best from my game. I am so grateful he reached out to me
with one call when I was in Japan, and we’ve built on that connection
exceptionally well. Dear sir, I AM PUMPED!! Looking forward to training with
you! Let’s get to work,” Sindhu wrote on X.
Prakash Padukone was one of the top shuttlers during
his time on the court. At the age of 16, he won the national senior
championship in 1971 and became the youngest player to achieve this remarkable
feat.
Seven years later he bagged a gold medal in the
singles event in the 1978 Commonwealth Games and in the following year he
further asserted his dominance by winning the Danish Open and the Swedish Open.
His consistency on the court made him the first Indian
shuttler to win the All England Championships and the first player from the
nation to claim the number-one world badminton ranking.
He will be looking to bring the best out of Sindhu who
has been struggling with form for the past few years.
She will be out of action for some time as she
sustained a knee injury at the French Open in October.
ANI
