Strokes intact: India’s P.V. Sindhu in action against Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun in the first round. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Being married has not changed Indian women’s singles star P. V. Sindhu’s approach to her badminton career.
The 30-year-old Sindhu has no intention of slowing down in her career just yet.
“No, I’m not thinking about retirement yet. I’m definitely going to play for the next couple of years,” said Sindhu, who married businessman Venkata Datta Sai in 2024.
“Being married doesn’t change much for me in terms of my career. I’m very lucky to have a husband who is very supportive.
“He doesn’t play sports. He’s a tech guy but he knows a lot more sports than me.
“My parents were sports people, so what else do I need? I have all the motivation and support to keep going.”
Both Sindhu’s father P. V. Ramana and mother P. Vijaya were volleyball players.
Sindhu’s hunger is admirable as she has already created history for India multiple times.
She notably captured the world title in 2019 and won silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The world No. 18 has been hampered by injuries in recent years but she said she has some unfinished business before considering hanging up her racquet.
“Definitely, I want to win as many tournaments as I can. Having said that, the World Championships will be held in India this year and I hope to give the home fans a medal,” said Sindhu.
“There’s also the Asian Games and I hope to do well there as well.
“More than to prove anything to anyone, it’s the self-satisfaction when I’m playing on court that I can give my best.
“I know that there’s a lot more to give. It’s just that I need to prepare accordingly.
“Sometimes, mentally you need to be strong. Sometimes, physically, you need to be out there very strong on the court
“I still believe I can do it. I have to keep going one step at a time,” added Sindhu.
Sindhu got off to a strong start in the Malaysian Open yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun 21-13, 22-20 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, and will face world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan next.
