“We’re two different eras, hence two varied styles. Yes, he likes to be aggressive and quick like me and we both like dominating the net, so those are the similarities. But he has far more variations when lifting shuttle from below the knees,” Gopichand says. “The set of smashes to Viktor’s forehand, the two backhand tosses even as his opponent was trying to rush to net to keep him back and the net deception was very good,” the coach adds. Where Srikanth faltered was in Set 2 in defense, but he would stand his ground and come back from conceding 6 straight points to go from 4-1 to 4-7 in the decider and out-play the defending champ Dane at the net. “Srikanth has these net taps that are unlike most players. He manages to stop opponents from lifting, they’re an awkward length,” he says. What makes him different is how his smashes push back his opponents, pinning them behind the midcourt. “The cross smashes landing is quite something. The kind of depth he gets on them,” Gopichand says. The variety is down to Srikanth’s early days playing doubles, and he happily dips into those strokes that catch singles opponents off-guard. The soft pushes and drives at the net take getting used to. Then there’s the big jumping smash which he actually uses as a set-up for his wristy touch play. Smooth in moving to the net immediately after the big booming projectile, Srikanth can anticipate returns and begin his wand-work at the net in one unruffled motion. His backhand is a mine of immense possibilities and angles, and his finishing stroke is something Indians can be proud of, flaunting it as world-class. “In recent tournaments, he’s gotten more consistent as well. In close matches even if he’s down, he can change his game at will and stage comebacks from the verge of losing,” observes coach Vimal Kumar. “He’s pulling out matches that you’d think he won’t win. Right now, Jan Jorgensen and Srikanth are at the same level, with only Chen Long a shade better than both,” Vimal adds. India could be looking at its first No. 1 material here. “He can of course get stronger and develop technically. And with Rio qualification, the big rush for points will start this year. But the best thing right now is that he’s No. 4 at 22. Unlike me, he has lots of time to make mistakes and recover,” Gopichand concludes. http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badminton/kidambi-srikanth-future-is-here/2/
Will they keep topping up the bonus for every tournament win? Do other players get similar bonuses for winning?
Because it is a rare victory for Indians . Also the credit goes to BAI head for showing that he cares for the players, which in India is a kind of political mileage .
The bonus is good! Sounds like the bonus is matched to the prize money. BAI chairman may become a bit poorer if Srikanth and Saina pull off more wins.
Didn't LCW's coach Tey Seu Bock say that KS is similar to LCW? I also think Srikanth's backhand smash is one of the best in the game(even though he uses it rarely). Perhaps that is something similar to Taufik. INR 5 lacs is a good amount(at least in India). Wonder how much BAI can spend per month if they keep on winning.XD
Although its good that they are rewarding the players but just like you said they are doing it for political mileage. They are very biased. I hope they help the doubles teams like they do the singles categories. In my view, they must spend that money on getting a quality doubles coach from Indonesia or South Korea instead. India is a place where once a sports person starts winning titles they get sponsorships relatively easily. I don't see the need for giving out the reward for a grand prix gold, 'coz its not the first time an Indian has a won title at that level in men's category.
Actually, the same cash prize was given to Saina and kashyap as well for their performances in Indian open GPG and Saina's All England final entry. So, this may give them to perform even better in the upcoming India open Superseries . I think we don't have history of winning India Open Superseries tournament. Hope somebody does this time.
Srikanth's recent interview. He shares about his recent win @ Swiss open tournament and much more. http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/inter...aintain-top-position-srikanth-kidambi-2069713 Excerpts: How tough was it to live up to the billing of top seed going into the Swiss Open? Once you get into a tournament, the seeding does not matter. Once you step on to the court, everyone wants to win. Nobody gives you any easy point. It is a match, 50-50 chances of you winning. The only aim is to win it. How would you describe the last one year, you rose in rankings to your best No. 4? I am happy with the way I have been playing for the last year or so. Everything is working for me. I am happy in that way. But, it is more challenging to maintain it (ranking). When you are already there (at the top), people will start looking at you, setting strategies for you. It is more challenging to maintain the top position. How do you overcome this challenge? Without Gopi (P Gopichand) sir, I would not have been there. What I need now is just a little more hard work, me thinking and analysing my game more than worrying about the opponents. You made a first round exit in All England and went on to win the Swiss Open the next week. How did you overcome the disappointment of an early exit in Birmingham? It is disappointing to lose in the first round, more so after I was seeded fourth in All England. Then the week after that, winning the tournament made me really happy. I managed to play well in Basel after the big loss in Birmingham. You have to forget the past. There are so many tournaments in a year that if you keep thinking of one tournament, you cannot play the other tournaments. You have to take one tournament a week, get on with the strategy, forget that tournament and be ready for the next tournament. You are second seed for India Open starting next week. What are your memories of India Open of the past and what can we expect from you in this edition? Last year, I lost in the first round. This year, me being seeded second, I am hoping to play well and give my best. Do you still look back at the Lin Dan win in China Open Superseries Premier last November and seek inspiration? Yes, definitely. You can never say or comment about Lin Dan. You cannot say anything about him. He is unpredictable. Am just happy to beat him. Is it easy to win a tournament without having to face a Chinese along the way? Like the Swiss Open in which you did not have to bump into any Chinese... In international circuit, no opponent comes easy. Chinese losing to other players means other shuttlers are are doing well. My opponent in Swiss Open final, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark defeated a Chinese (Xue Song) in the semifinals to enter the title round. You cannot say it is easy to play a player from Denmark and that only Chinese are tough to beat. You cannot underestimate anyone. Having won a Superseries Premier and Grand Prix Gold titles, which one gave you great satisfaction? Winning against Lin Dan is my biggest win. Having said that, every tournament win is important. I can't rate or compare one tournament win with another. I still cherish my first international title in juniors as also my first in seniors, the Maldives International Badminton Challenge in 2012. Even they have their own importance. Every win in the tournament gives you confidence. Winning a Challenger gives you the confidence to play well in Grand Prix Gold. And, winning in Grand Prix Gold gives you the confidence to do well in Superseries tournaments. Are you in a position to choose tournaments and still maintain your rankings? I don't actually play many tournament. I have to play all the Superseries tournaments because of my ranking. There are five Superseries Premier, seven Superseries events. I have to play all of them. May be a World Championships and one or two Grand Prix Golds. About 14-15 tournaments in 52 weeks are really good enough to still be training, playing and going back to training. What role do you see you having to play in making Indian badminton a dominating force in the world? We can see many players doing well not just in singles but also in doubles. It is just that we, as senior players in the Indian team, have to maintain it. If we can perform consistently, junior players can come up from here. I am ready to do it for Indian badminton. It has given me so much, I am ready to maintain the standards of Indian badminton. What would you have done if you were not playing badminton? I never thought about it. It was only badminton from the start. What do you do when you are not playing badminton? Sleep. I stay at the academy, so we don't have much time. My parents are not in Hyderabad. They live in Guntur, about five hours drive from Hyderabad. We don't actually meet often. We meet once in a month. They were there to receive me at the Hyderabad airport on Tuesday. I do speak to them on a daily basis. I cannot take time from badminton to meet them. They stay far away. Badminton means everything to me. What is your routine on an average day and how is it in a tournament? On a daily basis, we have 3-4 training sessions a day. And in tournaments, I relax. I don't want to strain in tournaments. We don't do any other things. What goals have you set for yourself? For this year, I want to perform consistently well and win a World Championships medal. Next year, I want to get into the Olympics and win a medal.
Agreed with you. Indians are really improving very fast in terms of men singles and women singles. I think the nation that is rising in badminton now is certainly Japan. Japan has a very balanced up team with good players in every category here. No offense here just my personal opinion. Yes, it was the former men doubles player named Park Joo Bong that makes a big difference in Japan. He is the one who rise up the badminton standard in Japan. So, here I certainly agree and believe that if India can get a good coach, their doubles department can also improve. As far as I know there is not really a good men doubles, women doubles or mixed doubles in India.
I totally agree with you blabl. Indians are doing well in WS and MS. Traditionally, India had few good players in singles and Indians never made any mark in doubles. India has improved in it's Badminton Infrastructure and Coaching & Training, over the years and it's results are visible only in singles. Badminton stars have emerged and one star is followed by another. But all these stars are in singles. Indian Doubles standards are way too low, and it is going to take lot of time to bring it closer to international standards. I agree that, India will have to import overseas doubles specialist to coach and train them. India is not having any doubles player or coach worth naming, who can make big difference.
This interview is a reflection of a K Srikanth's unassuming personality, his focus and dedication. I wish him very best. I am sure if he continues with his focus and hard-work, he will rise further and will also motivate many other players to do well.
Yep, When you play like Srikanth you control the rallies no need to adapt as long as you can deal with it physically. Its a similar style to LD 2008 OG and it's hard for players to deal with no matter how much they study his game.
His approach is simple -block theb play net get lift and then play variations of smashes for any lift by leaping like basketball players . He destroyed xue song and the Chinese coaches were as clueless as misbun was during 2008 OG finals.
Well he is quite different from his coach pullela and other Indian player in approach as all Indian players were rally and deceptive player running opponent out . He takes on them and his approach is similar to LD and LCW of prime . As long as he can do it every body will fear him. He just got to stick to it and believe . I honestly think rally style is gone unless a player of taufik genius comes who can out think the opponent.
