Longer rallies, stamina: Sindhu’s evolving game

Bengaluru: Blistering aggression has given way to stamina-testing rallies in women’s singles badminton, says ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu, who is reinventing her game to keep pace with the evolving tempo while navigating a challenging lean phase.

This year has been far from ideal for the two-time Olympics medallist. She has endured four first-round exits and three second-round losses, with a lone quarterfinals appearance at the India Open in January being a rare bright spot.

“The women’s singles (competition) has completely changed. Initially it was more of attack and fast rallies; it has become much more defensive with long rallies and long matches,” Sindhu told reporters at the SAI Centre here.

“We have been working on that, especially in terms of being more patient to continue that rally and keep the shuttle in the court for a longer period of time. Because we have to make changes every time the game changes,” she added.

Training under Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama for close to six months, she is making subtle adjustments to her game. “Back then I used to attack but now every athlete is good in their defence,”

she said.