India's Rising Badminton Star HS Prannoy Needs One Superseries Title To Completely Turn His Fortunes Around

There was a time when a coach told HS Prannoy that he won't have a successful career as a singles badminton player.

Today, Prannoy has won three individual titles including two Grand Prix Golds; he has beaten top singles players inculuding Lin Dan, Chen Long and Jan O. Jorgensen; is a world no 23 in men's singles rankings, and is the second highest ranked Indian male shuttler.

The 24-year-old from Kerala has established a reputation of a fierce, aggressive competitor and is now gearing up for the Yonex Sunrise India Open that starts from March 28 in Delhi.

He injured his knee at the Swiss Open earlier this month but has recovered in time and is hoping to go the distance this time around at India Open.

BCCL

TOI Sports caught up with HS Prannoy who is currently in Delhi for the India Open and he spoke on a variety of topics ranging from the way his career has progressed, his toughest opponent and what he likes to do in his spare time.

Excerpts:

At the Swiss Open, you were the defending champions. You made it to the quarters and then lost. What went wrong?

I thought the draw was tough, two Chinese back to back [Qioa Bin and Shi Yuqi]. There were three Chinese in the draw and two were in mine. Overall I was playing better though. All-England made me play better actually, the conditions are almost same. I am not disappointed for not being able to defend the title as overall, I was happy with the way I played.

How are the preparations for Indian Open going on?

BCCL

There hasn't been much time for preparation. I have been playing continuously for the past seven-ten days. But I think it's normal. Every year it's the same - there's All England, Swiss Open and then India Open. We don't really get much time to prepare for it. But it's an enormous tournament. It's special because it's played in our country. I think Indian players have a good chance of performing well here this time around. Lot of youngsters are in the main draw this time. It will be an interesting contest.

Who do you think will be toughest to beat at the Indian Open?

Everyone will be equally strong. At this level, on a given day, anyone can beat anyone. The field looks quite equal.

Which has been the most memorable match of your career so far?

Beating Lin Dan [French Superseries 2015] has to be one of the best ever [wins]. It was very tough for me to beat him at that point of time. I was playing well, had prepared a strategy earlier and managed to execute it on that day. Lind Dan plays to win and when he comes with that attitude, it becomes very tough. I think, to pull a win in that scenario, was really great and I would rate that as my best match so far.

So would you rate him as your toughest opponent?

BCCL

I have always found facing Chen Long a bit trickier. He has a very different game, really defensive and tough to crack at times.

You were an aggressive player earlier, now you have changed your game...

I used to be an attacking player but now it's totally different. I am a defensive player right now. The conditions and the exposure I got in the past three-four years has made me change it because all the players were much more comfortable defending my smashes. So, it was tougher for me to win matches. Then I thought, a change is needed in my game style. I have become more defensive but continue to have that attacking aspect as well because not every player is the same. I used to be quite aggressive before but I stopped doing that. I want to be calm. But at times, you need to be aggressive for some matches and tournaments depending on the opponent you are facing.

Are you satisfied with the way your career has shaped?

BCCL

Well I am happy with the way things have turned out so far and with whatever titles I have won. Obviously, I want to win more matches and titles for country. I have had my fair share of injuries but I know it's part of the career and everyone cannot have the same kind of body. You need to accept that. There have been a lot of issue. There have been people who told me I cannot be a singles player. To overcome all those and play at such level, consistently rank among the top-25 players has been amazing. Just need a couple of good tournaments and things will change. So, I am waiting for the big break. It can happen anytime, a Superseries I can go onto win and it can change the entire career.

What made you choose badminton as a career?

I started playing at the age of 10. My dad used to play badminton and I probably started picking it after him. For the initial first five years, I used to train with him only. There were a couple of coaches in between but 80 percent of childhood coaching was with my father. After finishing my 10th standard, I decided that I should give it two serious years to see where it goes. If it goes well, fine, otherwise I'll return to studies. Thankfully, I played well during that time and eventually that resulted in me taking it as a profession.

BCCL

Tell us how you prepare for a tournament.

I don't have a routine. But there's a training schedule - on-court and off-court. Couple of days before a tournament it's all up to us how we want to prepare for a match. But it keeps changing. Sometimes you want to try one thing and at other times not. You try to do a lot of things which is not working on court so that you gain confidence before the match. Things are different for every tournament.

Not all the times things go as per plan during a match. How do you come out of such situation when, for example you are trailing and the opponent is dominating?

It's tough. At times, you don't find answers to it. Things we have practiced don't go that way as we would want to [during match]. You feel helpless. You have to think out of the box - things you haven't practiced have to be attempted. Couple of things might help and you can overcome that difficult phase. I have faced such situations during a match when I had a very bad first game, then in the second one I would try a couple of different strokes which came good and from thereon, I would get the confidence back. At times you won't get it, the mind stops thinking. But you need to stay calm and help focus the mind to think out of the box.

Your team finished as runners-up at the Premier Badminton League this year. Do such leagues have an influence on players and their careers?

It has been helping Indian players a lot. There are several top players from the world participating in it and it gives the juniors a chance to rub shoulders with them, practice with them. It's not possible in normal tournaments. The way the event is organised and marketed, it's good for the Indian players, it makes them a household name and people start following them which I think is amazing.

How has Pullela Gopichand influenced you?

BCCL

It's incredible to see him manage such a huge group of players and produce international champions. He has been a great inspiration for all of us with the way he started his career, managed injuries and won titles.

What do you think is the biggest reason for the rise of badminton in India?

Exposure has been improving every year. Badminton Association of India has been sending teams for different tournaments. The juniors are getting the exposure at a very young stage which is necessary. Probably 5-10 years back it wasn't that much. The scenario has changed now. The association has helped a lot and we are participating in a lot of tournament and the competition has certainly increased.

A lot of credit also goes to Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. These two have been performing really well globally and people follow them. The coaching level has become better. Lot of credit should go to Gopi sir (Pullela Gopichand). He has been producing champion players every year. We have a lot of player in the top-50 (world rankings) and are maintaining that level. I think the only other country managing that is China and in the next couple of years we can hope to have five-six Indian players in the top-25.

Any other sport apart from badminton you like to follow?

I love football. I am a Barcelona fan. I admire Lionel Messi. The way he handles himself on and off the field. The attitude, the way he carries himself. I guess he can visualise himself while playing. The way he moves with the ball, it's beautiful. I watch movies and lot of [TV] series, Friends is my favourite.