New Delhi: PV Sindhu will enter the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Monday with the confidence of a Japan Open title behind her and the added motivation of competing in front of a home crowd, as the former world champion looks to end a seven-year wait for another World Championships medal.
The 2019 champion, who has a record-equalling five World Championships medals to her name, said her triumph in Japan had provided an important lift ahead of the tournament, which is being staged in India.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence, and of course I’m really looking forward to the World Championships starting. Since it’s happening in India, it’s really exciting. And to answer Sudhir’s question, winning the Japan Open gave me a real boost of confidence,” the ace shuttler said in the pre-match press conference at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Sunday.
Sindhu’s won World Championships gold in 2019 and another title on home soil would carry an obvious significance for the Indian, who has also won bronze medals in 2013 and 2014 and silver in 2017 and 2018.
For Sindhu, however, the challenge is not to look too far ahead. The immediate target is to reproduce the confidence she has built in recent weeks and navigate the tournament one match at a time.
“I won the world championships in 2019. After that, it’s been almost seven years. So, I hope this time I have gained a lot of confidence from the Japan Open. So, I hope I keep the same confidence. And I hope I do well. And I’m looking forward to it because everything is going well. It’s just that for me, it was one match at a time. And hopefully, let’s see. The Indian crowd is going to get a lot of support. And I’m really happy that we are playing the World Championships in India. And get to play at the home ground. And of course, there will be a lot of support. And I hope I get a medal here too,” she stated.
Sindhu was a young spectator when India last hosted the World Championships and is now returning to the same event as one of the country’s most decorated players. “I was a very small girl. I mean, I used to come and watch matches from morning until evening. We used to just play around and watch matches. At that time, it was just like, you got to see a lot of players, top players, and you just saw, but you didn’t know how serious it was back then.
“But now, when I look back, I was like, I got to experience the best back then, and I’m here, playing the World Championships now, after like 17 years in India. So, it’s all good to see, since then until now, the whole journey has been quite memorable. So, it’s always good to have it, being in India. And this time, hoping that I would get a medal at the home ground and yeah,” she said.
(IANS)
