“I still have that hunger”: PV Sindhu ahead of BWF World Championships

PV Sindhu was only 14 when India hosted the BWF World Championships in Hyderabad in 2009.

Seventeen years later, India is hosting the prestigious event again, and Sindhu has now become one of the flagbearers of Indian badminton over the years.

“I was a very small girl. I used to come and watch matches from morning until evening. At that time, I did not understand how serious it was, but now I realise that I got to experience the best back then,” PV Sindhu said on the eve of the World Championships.

“Now I am here playing the World Championships in India after 17 years. The journey from then until now has been very memorable, and I am hoping to win a medal on the home ground.

A five-time World medallist, including a gold in 2019, is coming to the tournament with a crucial win at the Japan Open. Sindhu, 31, became the oldest woman to win a Super 750 title in Tokyo.

“Winning the Japan Open gave me a lot of confidence and a boost going into the World Championships. Having won five medals at the World Championships, it has been an amazing journey. Each medal gave me a different kind of experience,” she added.

World Championship journey

Sindhu’s journey at the World Championships has seen her progress from bronze medals in 2013 and 2014 to silver in 2017 and 2018, before finally winning gold in 2019.

The 2017 finals remain some of the toughest moments in her World Championship journey. A year later, Sindhu came close again, but Carolina Marin of Spain halted her march to the gold.

“Losing the 2017 World Championships final made me much stronger. I played a very hard-fought match against Okuhara in Glasgow that lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes, but I lost 22-20. Being so close to winning the gold and losing by just one or two points was very difficult, but it helped me become stronger,” Sindhu said.

But her strong resilience prevailed when Sindhu finally won the gold in Basel.

In her quest for her second gold and sixth world medal, the ninth seed Sindhu will open against Ireland’s 141st-ranked Sophia Nobel.

Speaking about how the sport has evolved over the years and her own growth, Sindhu said: “Earlier, women's singles was more attacking and faster; the game now involves longer rallies and staying on court for longer periods. This requires a lot more patience.”

“I have become more experienced at dealing with things like drift and controlling the shuttle when it does not go exactly as planned. And the hunger for the sport has not changed. I still have that hunger, and I know that I can still do it,” she added.

Adapting to New Scoring System

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) approved a new 3×15 scoring system in April this year, with the new system set to come into effect from January 2027. Sindhu feels it will make the sport more challenging.

“The 15-point scoring system will be challenging because you have to be on your feet from the very first point. With 21 points, there was more time to make a comeback, but with 15 points, falling seven points behind can almost decide the match. You have to stay alert and adapt quickly from the beginning,” she said.