For injury-hit R. Satwiksairaj, it has by no means been simple to stage comebacks given the form of psychological and bodily challenges he has had to face.
But, the gifted shuttler believes in one mantra — good tidings are ready for him regardless of the unhealthy phases.
“Well, I have always believed in God, especially during those testing times. Fortunately, this Badminton Asia Championships doubles gold (with Chirag Shetty), after coming back from an injury, is special and unforgettable,” Satwik knowledgeable The Hindu in a chat from Dubai whilst the feeling of being newly-crowned champions hadn’t but sunk in.
“Definitely, the fatigue factor is a huge one as we have to keep playing tournaments given this being the Olympics qualification year,” mentioned Satwik. “We don’t feel that we are in the safe zone as far as Olympic qualification is concerned. ”Our target is to break into the top four and not be content being in the top 16.”
“But, thanks to the continuous support of our doubles coach, Mathias Boe, we now understand better how to respect the body and the mind. This is something we feel is very important to keep winning major titles,” the doubles specialist mentioned. “We are grateful to the entire support staff, including the physios,” he added.
“Given the nature of our game, more so for me since I play the attacking game with all those jumps, we have realised the importance of recovery,” Satwik defined.
What is the large change in the sport now? “We are both mentally much stronger and are no longer in a hurry to finish off the games. Like our coach Boe used to play, we don’t concede easy points and are mastering the art of picking points at critical moments to stay in the contest,” the 22-year-old Satwik mentioned.
“I would certainly rate the Asian Championship doubles gold in the top three, with the Thomas Cup being the best for obvious reasons, The next big targets are to win medals in the Sudirman Cup and the Asian Games. We want to keep the momentum going in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics”, mused a delighted Satwik earlier than signing off.
