00:00 Yeah, Ashwini, first of all, congratulations on the Olympics qualification.
00:04 So, your first thoughts on the Olympics qualification mix-ups with Dhanisha.
00:08 Thank you so much. I'm very happy that Dhanisha and I have qualified for the Olympics.
00:13 Again, we just started a little over a year ago. We started last Jan and at that point in time,
00:18 the Olympics seemed really far away for us. But to have come from starting from scratch to being
00:24 here today, having qualified for the Olympics, it's a pretty special moment for the two of us.
00:29 What sort of preparations went into it? Because there's a big age gap between you and her.
00:34 So, how did you just tie up with her? Because earlier you were also doing, I mean,
00:42 the partners were like, Reddy Sikki was there. Even then there was a big age gap.
00:47 Yes, I think the age gap is really going to be there. But having said that, Dhanisha is an
00:53 up-and-coming youngster. She's very energetic and her game style complements my game style,
00:58 which is one of the reasons why the two of us work well together. She's explosive at the net.
01:02 I am a hard hitter from the back of the court. And together we combine really well. But having
01:08 said that, we still have a relatively new pair and we have a lot to work on. And there's no end
01:13 to working and getting better. Different areas. Because last year we were playing smaller
01:17 tournaments. This year we're playing bigger tournaments. Competition is higher and it's
01:22 definitely tougher. So, we accordingly have to get better and keep working.
01:26 How would you rate your performance this year so far and going into the tournament? Because it
01:31 gets very important to peak at the right time in a competition like the NLF.
01:36 Correct. I'd say we started the year off well, having reached the quarters of the Malaysia Super
01:41 1000. That was a big boost for us because we beat a Japanese pair in the second round, which was
01:47 an important win for us. Definitely gave us a lot of confidence. But having said that, we are
01:52 playing bigger tournaments this year than we did last year. Because last year we played a lot of
01:56 small tournaments. We played challenges and 100s. We never got entries into a Super 1000.
02:01 So, the competition is higher. Our game needs to get better and stronger. So,
02:07 we kind of also know where we stand and how much we need to work now going into the Olympics,
02:11 having played these bigger tournaments the last couple of months.
02:14 You've already been part of two Olympic Games in your environment. So, how does that experience of
02:20 having been there, represented India, is going to help you and also calm the nerves of someone
02:26 like Tanisha who's going to be in the Olympics?
02:29 I mean, this having been, having to be in my third Olympics, I feel like definitely I do have
02:37 experience and I think the way I see the Olympics is different because I'm way older than what I was
02:43 a couple of years ago when I played my first Olympics. And I think that balance would help
02:48 both Tanisha and me and kind of understand how to prepare for the Olympics, what to expect.
02:53 And like you rightly said, I mean, it's so important to peak at the right time and I hope
02:58 that we train really well. We will be looking forward to training really well and working
03:01 towards putting on a good performance at the Olympics.
03:04 Badminton is one of the most sought-after sports in India when it comes to Olympics because it
03:11 has been giving us medals right from when we were two. Does that put an extra pressure on the
03:18 badminton players or shutters?
03:20 I think it would. It would especially because, I mean, right now there are a lot of eyes on
03:26 Indian players because they've done really well. Sathvik and Chirag are world number one. They've
03:30 won a lot of tournaments this year. They've had a fantastic start of the year. So, there is going
03:34 to be a lot of eyes on them, a lot of pressure. Sindhu going into her third Olympics, having won
03:39 two medals at the last two Olympics. There's also that pressure for her to go and perform again.
03:44 But we are all world-class players. Sathvik and Chirag, they're number one and it's not easy
03:50 being there. So, they do know what it takes to be there. They do know how to handle pressure and
03:54 they have dealt with very, like the highest of levels of badminton pressure. So, I'm sure they
03:59 will be, they will have pressure but at the same time, they are, I would say they are ready to like
04:04 take it on and do well.
04:06 We've seen a lot of competition between Chinese players and people used to talk about the aura
04:11 of the Chinese players and people used to chase them on the court. Players used to just be in the
04:18 awe and because of that aura and awe, they would have a good contest back in the days. But do you
04:26 think that perception has changed?
04:28 Most definitely. Most definitely. I think with since Saina's time, the perception has changed
04:33 because she's beaten a lot of Chinese players. So has Sindhu, so have the likes of Frenoy,
04:39 Srikanth, Satvik, Chirag. So, a lot of them have come up, Indian badminton players have come up
04:45 and beaten the Chinese players. So, it's no longer China as like a badminton nation. India is also
04:51 getting strong as a badminton nation and players are also proving to be really tough for the
04:56 Chinese players. So, yeah, it's not the same anymore.
04:59 What are your preparations? Any kind of bigger thing that you are working on,
05:04 going to work on before Paris?
05:06 Yeah, there will be a lot that Tanisha and I would have to work on because like I said,
05:11 last year we were playing a lot more smaller tournaments. This year, we've graduated to
05:14 playing bigger tournaments. That means the competition is higher and it's a lot harder.
05:19 That means we've also got to get our game to a level which is ready to match the top players.
05:24 So, there's a lot of work that the two of us will need to do and we will be doing that along
05:28 with our coaches and preparing in preparation for the Olympics.
05:32 Thanks.
05:34 Subscribe to One India channel and never miss an update.
Comments