P V Sindhu comes back on the right track.
PV Sindhu’s Japan Open title might seem like it came suddenly. It’s been seven years since she stood on the top step of the podium after winning an equivalent tournament. At 31, having achieved two Olympic and five World Championship medals, there was no dearth of well-wishers asking her to gracefully walk into the sunset. But this week, she made it clear that none of the questions of relevance gnawed at her. She would worry, but only about how to fight back from injuries and get stronger. In her comeback struggle, she found an ally in her husband Venkata Datta Sai.
Sindhu’s commitment to fitness reflects in every choice she has made. Not a single day missed for a set of crunches. Datta, a sports and technology buff, was determined to use every available technology to squeeze out even a decimal-sized improvement. This involves data analysis, deploying multiple wearable tech devices to monitor not just muscle fatigue but mental stress levels, and sleep. Infrared rooms, temperature controlled mattresses, inversion tables and calorimeters were all part of her regimen.
With her coaching situation stable after many years, and a Top 10 list in women’s singles at its weakest in decades, except for the near-unbeatable An Se-young, Sindhu senses an opportunity. The injuries are a looming sword and age makes bouncing back harder, but her game is more well-rounded. Through science, Team Sindhu are looking to ace the recovery game that helped Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Ronaldo, Kohli, LeBron, Brady prolong their active years. As far back as a decade ago, Sindhu’s coaches knew that she could go upto 35 and stay competitive. The Japan Open was an affirmation that she’s on the right track.