2024 Paris Olympics: Pullela Gopichand Shares His Advice For The Indian Badminton Team Ahead Of The Tournament

India’s badminton team will kick off their Paris Olympics campaign on July 27th with the group stage. The Indian badminton squad consists of 7 members this time, with PV Sindhu as the sole contender in the women’s singles tournament. Meanwhile, debutant Lakshya Sen, along with HS Prannoy, is set to compete in the men’s singles tournament. India’s brightest hope at the Olympic Games, however, is slated for the men’s doubles event with the star duo Satwik-Chirag ready to take the court. Lastly, India will have Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa playing in the women’s doubles tournament. As the players prepare for the tournament, the Indian chief national badminton coach and former shuttler Pullela Gopichand has extended advice to the team.

Pullela Gopichand Tells the Indian Badminton Team To Avoid "Strange Things" For The Olympics Preparation

Pullela Gopichand, a former badminton star for India and a coach to Olympics medal winner PV Sindhu, shared some wise words in reference to the Indian badminton campaign for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gopichand, in his message, advised the team not to partake in any unusual tactics. The coach urged the shuttlers to keep things simple and carry on with their natural games going into the tournament.

“I think the generic message to all the athletes would be to treat it like another match and it’s important that you don’t do any strange things for preparation; keep it simple and treat it like another game, get the preparation right and the matches will take care of themselves,” Gopichand told PTI.

Moreover, Gopichand expressed his confidence in PV Sindhu, noting that the leading shuttler has a bright chance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. PV Sindhu registered her name in Olympics history when she won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The seasoned player backed her skills to subsequently clinch a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now, Sindhu is placed in Group M for the Paris Olympics against Kristan Kuuba of Estonia and Fathimath Nabaaha of the Maldives. With her placement, PV Sindhu is poised to smoothly advance to the quarter-finals of the event. Gopichand also noted that Sindhu can easily surpass China's Xi Bing Jao and Chen Yu Fei, given her past records against the duo.