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'Injuries have affected my ranking, but there are enough opportunities to regain lost ground ahead of the Olympics.'
Having slumped in the rankings, champion shuttler Parupalli Kashyap tells Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com how he plans to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
While India's shuttlers compete in the ongoing Asian Badminton Championships in Hyderabad, Parupalli Kashyap is working out hard with his personal physical trainer to regain 'lost fitness' ahead of what he calls 'a vital season' as he aims to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Ranked No 8 at the start of the season, the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist was forced to pull out of the Asian Team Championships following a string of injuries. His absence from the circuit since sustaining a calf injury at the French Open Superseries in October 2015 has seen his ranking drop to No 17.
Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com spoke with the 29 year old about how he plans to regain lost ground.
You pulled out of the South Asian Games and World Team Championships. Is it the calf injury that has marred your game since October?
It is a string of injuries. I sustained a calf injury in October and was advised complete bed rest for one-and-a-half months. By the time I started walking again, two months had passed.
I somehow managed to get fit ahead of the Premier Badminton League -- which I considered then as my comeback tournament -- but soon I realised that I wasn't hundred percent fit and my stamina had dropped considerably.
Thereafter, I had to retain my title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow. I reached the quarter-finals, but strained my abdominal muscles, which severely dented my confidence of making a successful comeback.
I skipped a few tournaments, which included the SAG (South Asian Games) and World Teams Championships, and now am training with my new trainer with the focus on regaining top fitness.
Have you recovered completely?
These four weeks of intense training have really helped me. The focus was to regain my stamina and strength. My body is pain-free now. I have one more training week to go and then I will be heading for the German Open.
I was the only player among the players in the top 10 rankings who was getting injured frequently. I realised that something was wrong with my body and decided to return fitter so that I can sustain the gruelling competition ahead of and during the Olympics.
In October you were comfortably placed at No 8 in the rankings. Now you have dropped out of the top 15. How disappointing is it to see your hard work get affected by injuries?
Very disappointing! I had given my best to break into and maintain my top-10 ranking. Now these injuries have affected my ranking.
I am aware there are enough opportunities to fight back and regain lost ground ahead of the most-important Olympics.
After the German Open I will be competing at the All England Championships, then the Swiss Open. I am confident of doing well in these tournaments and book an Olympic berth.
You, Kidambi Srikanth (ranked No 9), Ajay Jayaram (No 25) and H S Prannoy (No 27) are in the top-30 and will compete for Olympic quota berths. Only two of you can qualify. How do you look at this intense competition?
I am aware of it, but I also think it reflects on the steady growth in Indian badminton.
I am still the second-ranked Indian in the rankings and confident of making it for the Rio Games.
While the focus is on qualification now, the main objective is to win a medal at the Olympics. All four of us are quality players and I am sure India will see more such healthy competition in the future.
The world's top 16 players qualify for the Olympics. You have fallen out of that ranking. Has qualification become difficult now?
No, not at all! You also have to consider that only two players from each country qualify.
China has four players in the top 16, so two will miss out. Likewise, Hong Kong has three. However, the aim is to break into the top-10 and pose a serious challenge for an Olympic medal.
China won two medals out of three in the men's singles at the London Olympics in 2012. They look solid for Rio as well. How do you plan to challenge them?
China is the biggest force in our sport. They always field a strong team and it is mainly because of their rich history.
In India, we have one Gopi Sir (Pullela Gopichand), while in China they gave 5, 6 Gopi Sirs! All their top coaches are former World champions. Their younger players also brace through tough competition.
It is like how India started producing quality cricketers after the 1983 World Cup victory.
Now, with more players doing well, I can safely say that badminton is one of the premier sports in the country and it will grow more with time to come.
You spoke about Gopichand, India's national coach. How much of an impact has he made in shaping you as a player?
He has been my mentor. It is his confidence in me that has made me a world-class player.
It is also important for me to grow in my individual capacity.
A coach can only do his bit, the rest depends on the player, especially in an individual sport like badminton.
When I was 20, I used to blindly depend on Gopi Sir, but now I have realised, and even he says, that I need to develop my own game.
Also, at world-class tournaments, it is mainly about fitness and trying to sustain those physically taxing tough moments.
The aim is to develop into a stronger player, both mentally and physically.
Tell us about your training regimen. What diet do you follow to compete at the world level?
I train for six hours a day -- two hours thrice a day.
While the focus is on improving my technique and mastering the game, I have an added pressure of staying injury-free as I have become prone to them.
My diet is simple protein. I enjoy home-cooked food and stay away from junk. It is nothing new for us (sportsmen).