'Get her back on the podium': PV Sindhu's new coach Anup Sridhar aims to restore consistency

NEW DELHI: PV Sindhu is continuing her quest for success with new motivation from coach Anup Sridhar. Sridhar, a former Olympian, began working with Sindhu on a trial basis following the Paris Games. Despite not winning a medal in Paris, Sindhu has been training under Sridhar for the past three weeks at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
PV Sindhu's recent notable achievements include her victories at the Singapore Open and the Commonwealth Games in 2022.In 2023, she was the runner-up at the Madrid Spain Masters and at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 in May.
"I spoke with Sindhu's team a few weeks ago, and she has been training under me in Hyderabad since the start of this month. We've made significant progress, and in two weeks, we'll head to tournaments in Europe," said Sridhar, who previously coached Lakshya Sen.
PV Sindhu exited the Paris Games in the pre-quarterfinals, losing to China's He Bingjiao. Sindhu will now turn her attention to the European leg of the BWF World Tour. Her next event will be the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, scheduled for October 8-13, followed by the Denmark Open in Odense from October 15-20.
"I'm taking it week by week," said Sridhar, who was brought on for the rest of the season after Agus Dwi Santoso's contract ended post-Paris Olympics.
"Since we haven't committed to anything long-term, it's hard to plan for 2025. However, there are a couple of tournaments in 2025 that Sindhu should aim to peak at," he said.
"You can plan for physical peaks, but not for form. I have my eye on a few tournaments next year, but the immediate focus is to enhance her consistency and get her back on the podium -- that's the big goal."
Reflecting on the current training, Sridhar noted, "I've spent this time understanding her situation, and I'm pleased to report that she's completely physically fit, with no signs of aches or pains."
"We've followed our training schedule without missing any sessions. I'm working on helping her unlearn certain things while introducing new elements to her game," he added.
Sindhu had a challenging period after a knee injury during the French Open last October, returning to competition only five months before the Paris Games.
"She faced a tough couple of years with some good results but lacked consistency during that period," Sridhar said.
"In just three weeks, I've noticed decent improvements, but there's still more work to be done," said Sridhar, a 2007 Asian Championships bronze-medallist.
"If we can get her to a level where she's consistently advancing past the early rounds, regardless of her draw or opponent, she'll have a realistic chance of making a strong comeback."
"...yet her hunger remains. She works extremely hard and is a great role model for the rest of India's badminton players." he added.
PV Sindhu has seen multiple coaching changes leading up to the Paris Olympics. After securing a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, her South Korean coach, Park Tae Sang, left her team in early 2023.
Following his departure, Sindhu collaborated with SAI coach Vidhi Chaudhary for several months. She then appointed Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, a former All England champion, as her coach.
This partnership, however, was short-lived. Sindhu then moved to Bengaluru to train under Prakash Padukone. Later, Padukone's academy brought in Agus Dwi Santoso to prepare her for the upcoming Olympics.