NEW DELHI: Star India Shuttle HS Prannoy is focused on improving his endurance keeping in mind the slower court conditions in Tokyo which will host the BWF World Championships within a week.
“I had a good two weeks of training. There was nothing different, but the Japanese courts tend to be slower, so the focus was more on endurance,” said Prannoy, who will open its campaign against Austria. Luka Wrabersaid PTI.
“During the Olympics the conditions were faster, but most of the time it’s pretty slow. Also, there’s the Japan Open next, so I think endurance will be important.”
Prannoy had reached the quarter-finals at the last edition of the World Championships in Spain.
With a string of quarter-finals, three semi-finals and a second-place finish this season, Prannoy has become one of the most consistent Indian commuters on the international circuit.
After his impressive career, the former world number 8 has returned to the top 20.
“It has been difficult. The ranking has not been thawed and it has been difficult to earn even a ranking point. I needed to reach the quarters, semis and finals of the superset events (tour world) to close the gap.
“At the start of the year I was ranked 29 or 30 and from there consistent performances helped me slowly get into the top 20.”
Not too long ago, Prannoy was struggling with health issues after being diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux during the 2018 World Championships.
Once recovered, he was struck by Covid-19 in November 2020, the effects of which were prolonged, and had a huge impact on his performance.
But Prannoy never stopped trying new concepts to make sure he found his game.
While Go Sports Foundation provided a lot of support, Prannoy worked with a company called Invictus, to improve not only his physical aspects but also his behavioral side, which includes psychology and breathing techniques.
Prannoy also uses a metabolic health tracker, a black spot that constantly monitors the level of glucose in his body.
“This is an Ultrahuman product that I’ve been using since February to understand how my body responds to food, stress, and activity and to improve my metabolic health,” he said.
“I have a back-end team working for me, they can see my sensor, what I’m eating during tournaments, it’s pretty accurate and it can help prevent future metabolic disorders.”
All his efforts have paid off as Prannoy seems calmer on the court and has reached the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open and the Malaysia MastersSwiss Open Super 300 finals, as well as playing a big part in India’s epic win at Thomas Cup.
But despite his best efforts, Prannoy’s last individual win remains the 2017 US Open Grand Prix gold medal.
“For me, the happiness of winning every point and every set is important, I need to enjoy the process,” he said.
“There will be a few days when you’re not good, you’re human after all, and you can be tired from the whole trip, so sometimes a loss is okay. If you try your best and keep knocking on the door, a day it could open, and I hope soon…”
“Also, I think we have to understand the fact that we are constantly playing against the best players in the super 1000, 750 and 500 events. There may not be any other sports where Indian players are playing against the best players. day after day. .”
Asked if the Thomas Cup win has changed anything for Indian badminton?
“I don’t think anything big has changed. Maybe it was a short-lived thing and we have to do something big like in cricket, and hopefully, maybe in the next decade we can get closer to cricket,” he said.
“Winning the Thomas Cup was a great thing for us but people are still hesitant to sponsor badminton events and leagues in India. It is the most played sport in the country and no other sport has known growth like badminton over the past decade.
“But we’re behind the times when it comes to endorsements. We need to take it to the next level, produce big wins to get big brand endorsements.”
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