http://english.manoramaonline.com/c...28&contentId=14762798&catId=-205921&BV_ID=@@@ Google is your best friend
So its Srikanth Vs Lin Dan....tomorrow, first round! Should be quite a match! I wouldnt be surprised whether Lin dan thrashes KS or KS causes an upset win over LD. Anything is possible! Should be quite a match. The current Indian MS players have rarely played against Lin Dan, so this should be interesting. Also, rumors are Lin Dan could play thomas cup. So we could see him in action in India!
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...rom-may-7-at-siri-fort-114050300519_1.htmlNot yet, "Later in the week" apparently.
They pick up 20 from 30 player.The core group:Men: Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap, R.M.V. Gurusaidutt, H.S. Prannoy, Anand Pawar, Arvind Bhat, Saurabh Verma, B. Sai Praneeth, Anup Sridhar, Akshay Dewalkar, Pranaav Jerry Chopra, B. Sumeeth Reddy, Manu Atri, Arun Vishnu and Alwyn FrancisWomen: Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Arundhati Pantawane, P.C. Thulasi, Rituparna Das, Sayali Gokhale, Tanvi Lad, Saili Rane, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, N. Sikki Reddy, Pradnya Gadre, Prajakta Sawant, Aarti Sara Sunil and Aparna BalanCoaches: Pullela Gopichand, Madhumita Bisht, U. Vimal Kumar, Vijaydeep Singh, Dwi Kristiawan, Hendra Mulyono, Dhanu Utomo, Andhika Anhar.http://www.business-standard.com/ar...-uber-cup-camp-from-may-7-114050300648_1.html
The triumph of the Indian uber cup squad is very historic. Its a culmination of a lot of positives falling into place over a consistent period of time. I even fancy their chances against JPN and why not ......
I thought India Über Cup team would have a good chance against Indonesia and so it proved right. However, I can't see that happening against Japan. The problem for India is picking up wins in doubles. Crowd support for India will be an unknown factor. How much of the local crowd will come to support the home team?
The local crowd was pretty into it during the match I saw, Bellaetrix Manuputty vs P.V. Sindhu in the Uber Cup QF. Great tension, went to the 3rd game. Great match to watch if anyone's interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUU1gdP1g60
India looking for specialist foreign doubles coach: BAI NEW DELHI: India's performance at the Thomas and Uber Cup finals have once again laid bare the country's doubles woes and Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to address the recurring issue by hiring a specialist foreign doubles coach. Indian women made history by reaching the semifinals of the Uber Cup last week but they were solely dependent on Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu in the singles and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the doubles. The men's team too was relying on K Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt to win the three singles and pull through as their young doubles combinations were nowhere near the standard of their opponents. The dearth of a decent second doubles pair after Jwala and Ashwini was all the more evident when coach Pullela Gopichand had to look towards his favourite wards -- Saina and Sindhu to pair up in the second doubles match against top teams such as Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. BAI has decided to get BWF's help in hiring a specialist foreign coach. "We had discussions with BWF regarding a foreign doubles coach. We spoke to BWF president and secretary general about it and asked for their help. They said they will get back to us with a few names," BAI president Akhilesh Dasgupta said. "We are waiting for their response. There are a number of teams who have good doubles players. So the coach could be from any country - Japan, Denmark or Korea but a Danish could be a real possibility. Let's see," he added. India will be competing at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games scheduled this year, besides the World Championships. According to sources, one of the names doing the rounds is doubles Danish star Joachim Fischer Nielsen, who has so far won at least eight Superseries titles, including two Superseries Finals victories. The 35-year-old Fischer had last month said that India's doubles players were struggling with tactics and not reading the game properly. Fischer, who along with his partner Christinna Pedersen, had won bronze at the London Olympic Games, said a Danish coach can provide new knowledge and solve India's doubles woes. "You need Danish coaches. It seems that your doubles is not reading the game good enough. That is my opinion and I think they need knew knowledge, they need to change something because it is not working for them right now. I think they are struggling with tactics and reading the game," he had said. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...gn-doubles-coach-BAI/articleshow/35618424.cms
Blazing a trail for France FIRST-TIMERS: French Thomas Cuppers Thomas Rouxe, Brice Leverdez and Lucas Corvee are in the city to take part in the Tamil Nadu Badminton League. Photo: French shuttlers Brice Leverdez (28 years), Lucas Corvee (21) and Thomas Rouxel (23) are first-timers to the city, and are, naturally, a little nervous. “We arrived on Monday morning and have been sleeping, mostly, since. We have not ventured out so far,” says Leverdez, at 28, the senior-most player of contingent. The World No.31 and his compatriots are here to take part in the Tamil Nadu Badminton League which begins on Wednesday. For Leverdez, who has been to New Delhi a few times, reaching the quarterfinals at the Thomas Cup (lost to Japan) recently is a sign that badminton does have a bright future in France, “provided all stakeholders move in the same direction”. “By reaching the quarters on our first attempt, we have written a page in the history books of France,” says Leverdez, who has won 12 international singles titles in his career. Leverdez is of the opinion that the French badminton federation is slowly realising the potential of its players. “When you compare badminton with football, tennis and rugby, badminton is way less popular in France. We have a long way to go. We are making baby steps,” he says. Rouxel (23) and Corvee (21) say they enjoyed the Thomas Cup experience too, and the performance of their team has given the country a hope that “we can do it, too.” “Playing in the Thomas took a toll on us mentally. If you look at it, Thomas Cup is more challenging than an All-England championship,” says Leverdez. “Before the Thomas Cup, there was no expectation from us. They (the federation) told us to have fun and come back. Now, after the event, we feel have improved. “For the next generation of players, this (reaching the quarterfinals) will be a huge step.”|
Top players for Tamil Nadu Badminton League The best of players from France, who helped the country make it to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Thomas Cup in New Delhi in its first appearance, will compete in the Tamil Nadu Badminton League to be held here from May 28 to 31. Brice Leverdez (World No. 31 in singles) and Lucas Corvee (63), Thomas Rouxel (77) — all from France — will be the prominent names as far as foreign presence is concerned. Other International players include USA’s Bjorn Seguin (85 in men’s singles), Nikolaj Overgaard of Denmark (64 in men’s doubles), Belgium’s Freek Golinski (56 in men’s doubles) and the New Zealand’s doubles pair of Oliver Leydon-Davis and Kevin James Dennerly-Minturn, which is ranked 50. The Indian participation will see two-time National women’s singles champion Sayali Gokhale, Neha Pandit and women’s doubles champions (with different partners), Prajakta Sawant and Sikki Reddy, among others. Aditya Elango, founder, TNBL, said “this time, unlike the last two editions, we will have 15 points for each game and not 21.” The TNBL adopts the Sudirman Cup format, which comprises men’s and women’s singles, and doubles and mixed doubles.
BAI might rope in "Morten Frost" HYDERABAD: Is the Badminton Association of India trying to sideline India's most successful coach Pullela Gopichand? It may or may not be, but the recent moves by BAI suggest so. It is reliably learnt that the association has approached badminton great Morten Frost to be the coach of the Indian team. It is also learnt that the Great Dane has said that he will get back to BAI. However, hiring Frost, who won all the top titles except the world champion ships, may be a very costly affair. When contacted, a BAI official, on condition of anonymity, said that the association got the requisite sanction from the Sports Ministry. "We know it will cost us a bomb. We have approached the Ministry and they accepted our proposal," the official said. When asked in what capacity they will be hiring Frost as we already have a successful coach for singles, the official said, "Frost can be a singles as well as a doubles coach. In fact, he worked in both capacities in the past." Gopichand said he is not aware of the move. "I don't know anything about this. I am hearing this for the first time," Gopi said. Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...and-in-a-Frosty-spot/articleshow/35626306.cms
This is absolutely ridiculous.. After reading this, i am in real shock. How come BAI can do this to Gopichand who sacrificed his entire life to badminton and created so many very good players. Really Great stuff BAI !!... If something like that happens, i never gonna watch badminton at all.. Really intriguing.. No players will accept that including saina and sindhu. I must say they can make morten as doubles coach but making him as a singles coach is really bad . They are doing injustice to Gopichand.
I'm bewildered. If a country hires a new coach, what wrong is it doing? How has Gopichand sacrificed his life? Gopichand gets paid for training players. He doesn't do it for free and hence, in no way is he sacrificing his LIFE. Gopichand might have created 3-4 good singles players, but that's it, we need many more and in the doubles field as well and if the existing coaches are incapable, there is an absolute necessity of a new coach.
BAI announces Rs.40 lakh cash prize for Uber Cup team New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) The Badminton Association of India (BAI) Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs.40 lakh for the women’s team that created history by winning the maiden bronze medal in the just concluded Uber Cup. It was the first podium finish by India in the prestigious biennial event by qualifying for the semi-finals where they lost to silver medallists Japan. China defended their title successfully by clinching the gold Saturday. “The women’s team has made us proud with the way they played last week. The BAI is providing the best facilities to the players to perform on the international stage and the cash prize is just a part of our commitment towards the players,” BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta said. The chief architects of India’s performance -- captain Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa -- will receive cash rewards of Rs.5 lakh each while the remaining amount will be distributed among the other players and staff members. The BAI also announced a separate Rs.10 lakh reward for chief coach Pullela Gopichand for being honoured with the Padma Bhushan earlier in the year by the Indian government. Meanwhile, Das Gupta also rubbished reports about the possible appointment of Danish legend Morten Frost as the coach of the Indian team adding that he had full faith in former All-England champion Gopichand. “Gopichand has been doing a fantastic job as head coach and we have full faith in his abilities to take India ahead on the international scene. The BAI is only looking for a specialised doubles coach which has been a weak link for the country in team events,” said the president. “However, we haven’t zeroed down on any specific names for the same. Whosoever is appointed, will be working directly under head coach Gopichand.”
