Many players make the mistake of chasing rankings
by playing a number of events.
It's almost like you have a mistake.
You don't correct the mistake
and go on and lose with the same mistake.
To give an example, probably it is like you write an exam
and you fail and you think that by repeatedly writing
the same exam, you'll pass it.
But the priority is to ensure
that you come back, work on those mistakes
and become stronger and then go back
and appear in a tournament.
Well, I'm in the top ten right now.
So there's a lot of pressure
to maintain or to be in the top ten.
But yeah, off-court,
you really think about it, but when you're on court,
you just want to perform well and win the match.
If we compare it to the other Asian athletes,
we definitely have a better on-court sense,
but physically we need to work
a bit more harder than the Malaysians,
the Indonesians, the Chinese.
The ranking is really very important
because to be in the teams and to travel with the teams,
I think you have to be really top thirty in the world,
and you have to be number one in India,
but if you give a hundred percent
towards your passion, I think nothing matters.
I was playing really well in singles.
I was a national champion in all the categories
like taking from under 13, under 16 and under 19.
But unfortunately I had an ACL injury.
Gopi sir, we were talking and Gopi sir,
was explaining me how the procedure will be
and how it will be and all that.
And suddenly being in top position
and you're falling down into bottom
and you don't know what to do.
It's like a depression or sadness or...
But he came to my house.
He explained everything to my family
and he has taken that guarantee that I'll make a champion.
Then that's how I shifted from singles to doubles.
Injuries have been a part of my career
and I've learned so much out of them.
And I also, the choice was between being a good
or a decent singles player, maybe,
to being a very good doubles player.
So I'm happy that she has done that change.
Initially there was a reluctance
because not many of them
would really love to take that choice.
Okay, ready?
One, two, nice, three. Good.
My family couldn't accept it.
And they were like, I've seen
her as a top singles player and shifting into doubles.
So they were a little unhappy and all that.
But later when I started winning
and when the country has started
recognizing doubles players, also, they felt really happy.
She's come out there and she's won medals
at the highest level,
whether it's the Commonwealth Games or whether it's
the international circuit as well.
So she is somebody who has been hard-working.
She went through tough times in her career
but she's come back strongly and she's, every time
the chips were down she came back strongly.
No pain, but I was a bit scared.
So that's why I'm moving very slow.
Just psychological. I hope I get my game back.
So recently I have been, I would say that
yeah, small minor injury.
So it's just the cartilage is degenerating so, in my knee.
So it's common because I've gone through three surgeries.
So it's very common, the doctors said.
But psychologically it affects you
because you won't be that confident
because there is something in the knee,
there's some pain and all that.
And badminton is very fast
and you have to be really very strong and all that.
So basically this is the physio room.
So all the players get their stretching treatments
and all the recovery over here.
And this is one more physio for the doubles team.
This is Johnson.
So yeah, he'll stretch me.
Yesterday Gopi gave me two oils for the knee.
It's good.
One is for the nerves it seems and one for the pain.
It's small 30-ml bottles.
It's really sore sir.
Oh, nice shot.
On the courts, we're doing a lot of pressure training.
Three against two, one against four and stuff.
So basically ensures that
they get stronger from the side
of ensuring that they don't make the rallies very intense
and the pressure is directly on the players all the time.
Nice job.
I always do evening pooja after session,
just to get some good vibes as well.
My mother always calls me and tells me to do pooja every day.
So this my routine, so always do pooja.
Before pooja I do bath and I do this and go for dinner.
This is my darts commentator, rival.
We have some rivalry so every time we play.
So yeah, this is mine, yellow.
This is my red.
Firstly it's Chirag's turn.
-This is the line. -This is the line?
-Okay. -Let's see how it goes.
Professional dart gamer.
Oh yeah, buddy. 10? Okay.
Forty, fifty, ok sixty.
-And it is eighty. -Beat that!
Ok.
-Let us see how it goes. -Ten!
Ten!
-Fifty. -Fifty.
Eighty.
Woo! Yeah!
So yeah I won.
So you lost the bet, so you buy me lunch tomorrow.
No, no!
There was no bet! There was definitely no bet!
Well, I think initially I think the first time we entered,
into the top ten, I was in complete disbelief.
I actually couldn't think like, it was always, like I said,
it was always a dream to be in the top ten.
And I think that too was a very big milestone for both of us.
And right now I think our target
is definitely to enter the top five.
I think the sport is definitely growing in leaps and bounds.
I think after cricket, it's definitely
a sport to look up to.
And I think it's exciting times for badminton.
When I started, there was not
so good enough players for doubles.
Then I thought it's ok.
You have to be some specialist in doubles
and India needed some doubles players.
So that's how I motivated myself in doubles
and worked hard to play for India.
The guy, good at the net.
I could see him get stronger with time,
but also I could see him not being so mobile
to be playing singles.
And I said that this guy
could be a monster if he plays doubles.
And that's what my thinking was.
But definitely he has in fact surprised me with his progress
and speed at which he went up.
And he's somebody who has definitely
a great potential in the future.
Along with, of course his partner,
who is extremely talented as well, Chirag.
And both of them together can be great news
for Indian badminton in the future.
Two, please.
Ahhhhh! Two kings. You see this is what he does!
So planning to watch a movie.
So of course, if it's a movie, then we have to do a popcorn.
So let's make some popcorn.
We know each other really well.
So, what he likes or what he doesn't like,
I know really well, I've seen him from childhood.
So that's the thing.
I think we move it very comfortably
and we're in the same profession.
So we understand each other very well.
So we are in the same batch since...
So I think that is one of the reasons
that we know each other pretty well.
Who is more afraid of bugs?
Who spends more time on social media?
Who is more gangster?
I'm the first person who realized that,
you know, she's the one for me.
So yeah. I proposed to her and she took a while
you know, a lot, you know, after she accepted
and there was a lot of drama at that house
and, you know, even my house.
So yeah, you can take a movie on that love story.
So I think most of the badminton fraternity
will know about our love story.
Good morning.
For maybe most of my life, it's been a 4:30AM start.
But it's amazing because kids turn up early,
they get up at 3, 4 o'clock almost,
to be there at the session.
And I do believe that we have a good future
for sport in the country.