In an exclusive interview on JioCinema, HS Prannoy spoke about his feelings after winning a bronze at the BWF World Championships and the key to defeating Viktor Axelsen in the quarters. Prannoy lost to eventual champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-18, 13-21, 14-21 in the semifinals.
EXCERPTS:
What are your first thoughts on winning a medal?
I definitely felt really happy because it was not an easy draw for me to get a medal out there. Starting from the first round, it was a tough draw and I had to dig deep and then, the quarterfinals was with Axelsen. To beat him and to actually get to a medal spot was really satisfying.
What is the key to beating Axelsen?
It was tough because the conditions were favouring him and the crowd was entirely supporting him. Somewhere in the second game, things started to change and I started to gain a little more confidence in controlling the shuttle. That kind of changed the whole momentum. Getting into the third set with any opponent, it’s just a mental game. And, I think I got a good start, I kind of carried that lead till the end and eventually closed that match.
What was the reason behind that celebration in the quarterfinals after defeating Axelsen?
Oh, there was absolutely no reason behind that. It just came to my head, I don’t think that was an intention behind doing that because I didn’t have any pre-planned celebration in my mind. So, what came in my mind, I just did that.
Was fatigue the reason behind the semi-final loss?
Yes, there was fatigue, definitely. And it sort of started to show up post the second game. At the top level, if you have to win these tournaments, you have to be physically a little bit better because all the other players are much, much younger. All of them are around 22-23. So, they are going to recover faster and come strong at you. So that’s one thing which probably kind of changed things. I was probably a good 15-20% down on fitness.
So, what keeps you going?
I think the fact that I understand how my game works and I know that if I don’t work hard, I can’t get results. So that’s one major reason that I always think that I have to put in a lot of work behind the scenes, especially before tournaments. The training has to be very specific and I have to spend a lot more time than other players, who are skilfully much better than me. So probably that’s why I’ve been able to put in that extra bit of workload every single day.
Who are the people behind your success?
I think everybody has got a say, starting from the coaches, bhaiyya, my Guru, my nutritionist. The physios, I think they have been with me since the last ten years, so they know my body in and out. All of these people have been continuously working for the betterment of my game. Also, my parents and my wife because I have been continuously on tour and not being able to spend time with them but they’re still able to give their support. The fact that my performances is the top priority right now and nothing else matters, I think I’ve got that freedom from them. So, I think everybody is pitching in their roles and being supportive in a big way.
Are you in the form of your life?
As of now, yes, I would say I have had a good string of tournaments, where I could play well, especially starting from Malaysia. I could really go deep, post the quarterfinals in a lot of tournaments and I think that’s a good improvement from last year’s performance where I could reach a lot of quarterfinals. This year, we went one step ahead and started to play semifinals and finals much more consistently. It’s been a good year. Getting a medal at the World Championships will be something I will cherish for a very long time. But, I think you just have to come back to the basics, get the head down and start working again.
Key to maintaining your form in the run-up to the Paris Olympics?
I think the important thing would be to plan the tournaments and schedule correctly. There are going to be a lot of tournaments and you can’t play in all of them because the quality of your game just goes down if you are continuously on tour. So, it’s really important to get back to training as soon as possible, get as much of training sessions in Hyderabad. That’s the only way to kind of keep your consistency level up and kind of pick and choose which tournament you want to play and try to go deep in that tournament.
Tell us about your use of technology for training.
I think everybody is using technology at this age. It’s majorly how to track the workload on a daily basis and make sure that your body is given the rest when it is needed, so that you’re not going into any injury phase. And that’s the most important thing that we all are trying to do.
What is next for HS Prannoy?
There are a lot of things to do. We have just started but we have the Asian Games coming up next month and then it will be a big event for all of us.
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