Ok. Sathish’s recreation is an amalgamation of stable defence and powerful assault. The just lately concluded BWF Odisha Masters International badminton event at Cuttack bore testimony to the 22-year-old’s rising standing.
Against the reigning World junior championship bronze medalist, Ayush Shetty, in the ultimate, Sathish offered a wealthy number of his strokes to bag his first Super 100 title on the Grade 2 event.
Prior to this, Sathish has been enjoying largely in the decrease strata of tournaments, the Grade 3 occasions such because the International Challenge and International Series. Of the 19 tournaments he competed in in 2023, 10 had been on the Grade 3 degree.
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In such a situation, the style of his efficiency at Cuttack will need to have positively given him the boldness that he can attain larger heights.
Sathish’s placements, soar smashes and glorious retrieves rankled Ayush to no finish. There had been a couple of pictures that stayed in one’s thoughts.
Brilliant pictures
At 18-17 in the primary recreation, Sathish effected a backhand drop. Such was its perfection that Ayush, who was in a place to take it, might hardly transfer a step ahead. Then, at 19-18 in the primary recreation, with Ayush parked completely in the center, Sathish pushed a backhand from shut to the online to the backcourt to the suitable aspect, leaving Ayush a mere spectator. A ferocious smash down the road, to shut out the primary recreation, confirmed Sathish’s attacking instincts.
Having not had a profitable junior career, Sathish gained his first worldwide title in the senior class when he gained the Cameroon Open at Yaounde in 2022, defeating Chua Kim Sheng. Before that, in 2021, he had misplaced in two finals — the Hungarian International championships and the Ukraine International Series.
After grinding his method via, it was in 2023 that Sathish started to realise his potential when he gained two worldwide titles — the Infosys International Challenge (Bengaluru) and the Chhattisgarh International Challenge in Raipur. And the victory in the Odisha Masters has come as a powerful vindication of his laborious work and work ethic.
Confidence-booster
“It has given me huge confidence. Actually, in the last two BWF Super 100 tournaments, I lost in the quarterfinals in Thailand and Abu Dhabi. I have won only Challenges and Series events. I wanted to win something better. I am happy to win my first Super 100 crown in my last international tournament for the year,” stated a relieved Sathish.
Born in Chennai, Sathish studied on the Ashram School until Std. VIII. However, it was after his transfer to Coimbatore that his badminton career graph confirmed indicators of promise. “At the point in time, my coach, N. Venkatesh sir, was one of the best in Tamil Nadu. My junior career took root in Coimbatore,” asserted Sathish.
He polished his recreation additional beneath the steerage of Jeevanantham in Malaysia. “I used to go there to train with him. When I won the National under-19 singles title, Jeeva sir was my coach,” stated Sathish.
In everybody’s sporting career, a time comes when one decides to take to the air. Sathish was keen to carry out nicely in the senior part on the world stage, and he selected former worldwide Ajit Wijetilekk, who was coaching in Bengaluru. That was the turning level in Sathish’s journey.
“The first thing I learned from Ajit sir was mind training. Back home, I went to the gym for physical fitness, but there was no focus on mind training. Under Ajit, I developed an all-round game. Defence has always been my strength. Ajit made me more aggressive,” revealed Sathish.
According to the Tamil Nadu participant, Ajit needs his wards to do nicely as that’s one thing he couldn’t do, regardless of attempting his finest, due to accidents. Ajit was India No. 1 in junior singles and doubles and India No. 2 in singles for seniors.
His highest world rating was 403, which he reached in 2011. “He has played in the All England Open, pre-Olympic tournaments, and the Thomas Cup. He has had injuries in all parts of the body. He wants his wards to shine on the world stage. He has always been with us. He has coached my mind, I would say. Nobody has pushed me as much as Ajit,” stated Sathish, ranked 61 in the world.
Improved world rankings
The singles crown in Odisha, Sathish believes, will push him into the highest 50 in the world rankings when the BWF rankings are launched on Tuesday (Dec. 19).
2023 has been one of the best 12 months thus far for Sathish. He has gained four titles, together with three singles crowns and a combined doubles title with Aadya Variyath on the Chattisgarh International Challenge.
In truth, three consecutive worldwide tournaments in India — Syed Modi Memorial tourament (Super 300), the Guwahati Masters, and the Odisha Masters (each Super 100) — had been thought-about very essential for Indian gamers to enhance their world rankings and provides themselves an opportunity to make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sathish made them depend. Despite injuring a finger, conceding his second-round match to Priyanshu Rajawat in the Syed Modi Memorial, and dropping in the second spherical on the Guwahati Masters, Sathish gave a combating efficiency to safe a win on the Odisha Masters.
Ajit stated he anticipated Sathish to win one of many three tournaments or a minimum of attain the ultimate of 1. “When I first saw him, he was a defensive-rally kind of player. I got to develop his game when I was in Coimbatore in 2020–21. Sathish is a good listener. He observes, absorbs, and implements the ideas I tell him. A gem of a person, he is my best trainee (along with Aadya),” stated Ajit, who believes Sathish is a high 30 materials.
Great staff
Ajit, who give up his job at BPCL for full-time teaching, stated one of the best a part of his teaching is the staff he has now. “My mother has come on board to help me in administration. I have a nutritionist and a strength and conditioning coach. I am a pranic healer myself and a lawyer by education. I hope Sathish and Aadya bring more laurels to the country. I am confident,” stated the 47-year-old.
In the following few months, Sathish stated he’ll give extra precedence to combined doubles, the place he stands a practical likelihood of constructing the minimize for the Olympics.
“Aadhya and I are ranked 51 in the BWF Olympic rankings. If we reach the top 25, we have a reasonable chance to make the cut,” revealed Sathish.
Sathish signed off, remarking, “Now, I have to keep my mind steady, believe in my routine, and give my best.”
