India badminton star Pusarla Venkata Sindhu stated on Wednesday that “everybody is beatable” as she aims to win a medal at the world championships in New Delhi next month.
In addition to winning silver in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo five years later, Sindhu won the world championship in 2019. The 31-year-old star shuttler will be the center of attention during the August 17–23 world championships.
In Tokyo, where she is competing at the Japan Open, she told AFP that she anticipates competing for a medal.
“Right now, with the game I’m playing, I think I just need to do a little bit of small tweaks and stick to my game plan, irrespective of who the other player is. Just keep fighting for every point. I feel that everybody is beatable,” said the world number 10.
Sindhu made it to the Australian Open semifinals last month and last victory occurred at the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow in December 2024. She thinks that competing at home will benefit her at the world championships once more.
“There will be pressure, I will not deny that, but at the same time it’s a kind of confidence when you play in your home court. I think it’s really good and I feel confident having it in our country,” she said.
There are other Indian shuttlers vying for a medal next month besides Sindhu. Lakshya Sen is ranked 14th in men’s singles, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are ranked fourth in men’s doubles.
“In India, I think after cricket, badminton is the next big sport. In the last few years it’s become a lot more, and we have a lot of athletes who are doing really well. It is quite popular and I feel that there will be a lot of crowds supporting India this time,” said Sindhu.
The world championships were last held in Hyderabad, the home city of Sindhu, in 2009. She hopes India takes full advantage of the chance.
“For the youngsters, it will be a good thing to see top athletes who are coming to Delhi and playing at the top level. It’s a very good experience for the youngsters to see and learn a lot more,” she said.
