Anup Sridhar joins Singapore Badminton Association as assistant coach

Anup Sridhar, the former coach of Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, signed a long-term agreement with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) as the country's new singles coach on Monday.

However, Sridhar's appointment is subject to the successful processing of his employment visa, which is expected to take approximately three weeks.

"We do not have a start date as it is dependent on the work visa approval, and we certainly want Anup to join us as soon as possible," David Tan, SBA's Vice President for Business Development and Communications, told PTI.

He also said that the SBA and Sridhar signed a long-term deal.

"All I can say is that it is not a short-term contract, and all other terms are confidential,” Tan added.

In September 2024, Sindhu roped in Sridhar as her coach after her Paris Olympics campaign ended in the pre-quarterfinals. With his short-term agreement with Sindhu concluding in December, he accepted the SBA's offer.

The 41-year-old will assist South Korean coach Kim Ji-hyun, a former coach of Sindhu, who currently serves as Singapore's chief coach.

After speculations surfaced that Sridhar was joining SBA as the country’s chief singles coach, Tan clarified that Kim would continue to oversee the men's and women's singles teams. Sridhar will provide "additional support" to the teams.

"SBA is indeed appointing Anup Sridhar to this role as Singles Coach, but this is not as men's singles head coach as erroneously mentioned by the media in India, as well as by the commentator during the live telecast of the quarterfinals match between Loh Kean Yew and Viktor Axelsen in the India Open," Tan told Channel News Asia. 

The SBA had advertised for the position, requiring a minimum of five years of experience within a national badminton team structure with a primary focus on singles.

Explaining the rationale behind choosing Sridhar, a former Indian Olympian, Tan said, "Sridhar has also impressed us with his in-depth comprehensive analysis of the strengths and shortcomings of many top players on the tour at the moment, and this knowledge will be most useful to our national team."

Sridhar is a former Indian Olympian. He represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was also the captain of India’s Thomas Cup team in 2006 and 2008.