Keeping the Paris Olympics in thoughts, star Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has employed an Indonesian coach to assist him ramp up his recreation in the run-up to subsequent yr’s showpiece.
The qualification interval for the 2024 Olympics started from May 1 and Srikanth, who has been struggling with kind, has availed the companies of Wiempie Mahardi to assist him practice.
“I’ve been making an attempt to get a coach since December 2021, when Agus left. Now I’ve an Indonesian coach Wiempie Nahardi. I met him once I went to Indonesia to coach for 3 weeks. He got here to India in final week of April,” former world number one Srikanth told PTI.
India are yet to appoint a foreign coach for men’s singles players since the abrupt departure of Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso in December 2021. After PV Sindhu parted ways with Park Tae Sang in February, the Korean has been helping out the men’s singles players.
“I was trying to get a coach through TOPS but somehow, it didn’t work out. In January, I had sent SAI the proposal and since then it has been on hold. Since the Olympic qualification period was also starting in May, I couldn’t hold any longer, so I decided to do it myself,” Srikanth stated.
A former world prime 25 participant, Mahardi has greater than 10 years of teaching expertise, having skilled gamers in totally different golf equipment throughout international locations.
Srikanth achieved unprecedented success in 2017 when Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo had taken over the coaching tasks. The Indian went on to win 4 titles that season. Another Indonesian coach, Agus Dwi Santoso, had an affect on him when he joined the Indian set-up in 2020.
“I don’t assume it (a private coach) will work for everybody nevertheless it labored for me in the previous. When Mulyo was there, I did rather well, and Agus was there I did nicely. So this Indonesian model works for me, that’s why I wanted a coach.
“It just isn’t simple to play with out a coach, I imply that’s the minimal requirement for a participant,” said the player who is managed by Baseline Ventures.
However, Srikanth didn’t get the time to train with his new coach as he participated in the selection trials for the Asian Games. He finished at the top with six wins in as many matches to qualify for the individual events.
“I couldn’t really train with him because after I came back from Asia Badminton championships, I didn’t have any time. I had just two days before the trials and two days after the trials. After the upcoming Asian events, I hope to get some time to train with him.”
Srikanth has endured a tricky 2023, managing one quarterfinal end in seven tournaments, which noticed his rating slip from world quantity 13 to 22.
“I used to be enjoying nicely previous few occasions however simply couldn’t win these shut matches. Once I begin doing that it’s going to make an enormous distinction. Let’s see what I can get out of the following 4 tournaments that I’m enjoying.
“Badminton additionally retains evolving, there will probably be somebody who will come and dominate and folks must come up with an alternate method.”
Srikanth had won a world championships silver in 2021 before guiding India to a historic Thomas Cup win last year.
“I have done well in 2021 and 2022 till Commonwealth Games and then others slowly started getting better and I may have stayed there. You constantly need to keep improving, and that is also an important reason to have a coach,” he stated.
With solely the highest 20 gamers handed direct entry into the Asian Games, the 30-year-old from Guntur, ranked twenty second, needed to take part in the choice trials for the primary time.
“I believe it’s the first time that I performed a trial for Asian Games. I’m okay with it so long as there’s a mounted rule. Of course, it’s little tiring, because it has been some time that I performed two matches in in the future,” stated Srikanth.
“The younger players won’t feel it but it was tough for me to play two matches. When I was 19-20, I used to play 5-6 games a day, my body took that load then but I can’t put my body through it now. Also the Olympic qualification period has started and it is a challenge for the players.”
Next up for Srikanth is the Sudirman Cup, a blended workforce championships starting in Suzhou, China from May 14.
“We have a robust workforce, however we have to carry out, prefer it occurred in Thomas cup. I believe we now have a greater workforce. In earlier years, we used to have good singles after which miss out in doubles. This time we now have a really robust singles and doubles,” he said.
India have been drawn with Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Australia in Group C.
“Last time in Thomas Cup, in every tie Satwik and Chirag won, it made a big difference. In most of the past Sudirman Cups, a lot of time we lost 3-2, it is about that one doubles win against teams like Malaysia, Taipei, Japan or Korea, so they will make a big difference.
“With our men’s and women’s doubles doing well, it gives us a clearly better chance this time.”
