Saturday, May 04, 2002
Saturday, May 04, 2002 |
| Sport | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Sport
-
Badminton
By Rakesh Rao
Despite fighting nagging injuries, Gopi Chand has managed to remain in the top-10 in the world.
Really, these words from P. Gopi Chand are not far from the truth. When a performer gets buried under the burden of expectations, his efforts to deliver go unnoticed. And who would know that better than Gopi. The majority has only cared to remember that Gopi has not won a major title after winning the All England crown last year. What has escaped the attention of the followers is the fact that despite fighting nagging injuries throughout the past year, Gopi has still managed to remain in the top-10 bracket of the world rankings. A look Gopi's performances after his All England triumph reveals his consistency. In the World Championship, Gopi won all his team matches and reached the quarterfinals where he lost to Chen Hong. In the Malaysian Open, he reached the pre-quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion Ronnie Augustine of Indonesia. He lost to Marleve Mainaky in the semifinals of the Indonesian Open before losing to the same player World Grand Prix in the third match of the league. In the Danish Open, Gopi made the quarterfinals after getting the better of Lee Tsvensen, the winner of the Dutch Open the previous week but lost to Bao Chunlai, again the man who became the champion. The Singapore Open was the only event where Gopi lost in the first round, to Lin Dan. In October and December, Gopi had training stints at Milton Keynes. In between, at home, he won a double crown in the National Games at Jalandhar. But it was at Udaipur, where Gopi lost to Sachin Ratti to suffer his first defeat to a fellow-Indian since 1997. In late December, in the Copenhagen Masters, an injured Gopi both his matches tamely. The injury was later diagnosed as the fracture of the first metatarsal bone, on his right foot. This injury, suffered on the last day of training at Milton Keynes, ruled him out of the National championship at Lucknow and the subsequent Thomas Cup campaign. The plaster was removed on January 28 and after Gopi began playing on the 19th of February. In March, it was time to defend his All England title but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Understandably, Gopi was far from fit and it did not come as a surprise when he lost in the second round. But it was his performance in the Japan Open in April that proved that Gopi was as determined as ever. He made the semifinals past the reigning World Champion Hendrawan and third seed Lin Dan. No wonder, Gopi had reasons to be pleased. ``I am really happy with the way things have gone. It has been a good year. There were losses. If you see, Lin Dan (of China), whom I lost to in the Singapore Open, is among the top four players today. Even Bau Chunlai (of China) is up there. Take Marleve Mainaky, for instance. Whenever I've lost to him, he has gone on to win the tournament. I was losing, probably, to the best player of that tournament.'' It is Gopi's positive frame of mind and supreme confidence that has kept him going despite all the odds. ``When I returned to the All England this year, I was seeded three and ranked fourth in the world. Well, I don't think that was a not bad performance for the year. I don't have to explain that to any one. Also the fact that it was a difficult year for most of us. Peter Gade is out of the top-25 and even Hendrawan is also not among the top ranked players. Apart from the Chinese, who've done well, it has been a struggle for the rest. The Chinese had been preparing for this changed system (7 x 5 format) for some time now. If you notice, Lin Dan have started playing well only after the change of format.'' It is not that Gopi did not have his share of disappointments. "What disappointed me last year was the loss (to Chen Hong) in the World Championship, which I thought, I could have won.'' In the past year, Gopi has often been quoted on the seven-point format. So often, that a former National champion went ahead and said that it was time Gopi stopped giving excuses. "There are difficulties involved in keep winning all the time and if you look at the badminton world, it has not happened. When some people ask how is it that you are not getting used to the new format, I tell them that had it been a 15-point format, I would have been more consistent. The answer comes out in that way rather than me telling it that way. Well, I really don't try to explain too many things to too many people. I leave a few things to what they understand of it,'' says Gopi. Though injuries are not new to Gopi, he still managed to carry on despite a few more suffered last year. "There have been people who've been asking, `why do you play a tournament if you are not 100 per cent fit? But I know myself. If I had been waiting to get 100 per cent fit and play, I would have played just about 20 per cent of matches that I've played. So, most of the time, I am carrying an injury and playing with the best in the world. When I am going for a tournament, I am not looking at being 100 per cent fit or play only if I am 100 per cent fit. But I just take it as, whatever is my level of fitness, I'll try to do my best. That's the attitude I go out with,'' was how Gopi chose to put it. About his title-defence at the All England championship, where he was far from fit, Gopi says, "may be, I was away from reality. I just hoped that things would be better as I go along. But that was expecting too much. I would not have felt great had I been in Hyderabad and looking at the results in the newspapers. I am happy that I went and tried. At least, I have the satisfaction of giving it a try.'' Gopi is quick to admit that it is a painful experience to give it your best shot but still fall short. "It is the kind of pain that is there when you know you are capable of doing better. You know that you are capable but your body is not responding. All things are there but they bring in unnecessary pressure and it definitely hurts.'' What has helped in comforting Gopi is his performance in the Japan Open. "It was important for me and I think, it was also necessary for me to do well. I had to come back from injury and beat those to whom I had lost in the past was very satisfying. I had lost to Hendrawan (the reigning World Champion and Olympic runner-up) in the Olympic Games and also to Lin Dan. If you lose to somebody a second time or a third time, you begin to lose confidence as well. I am glad I did enough to feel confident all over again.'' On the subject the leading players suffering more losses than ever before, in the new format, Gopi says, "it is time the biggest players got used to losing. The players too realise that you win every tournament. Even if you lose, start the next tournament afresh without allowing that defeat to really bother you.'' How does he take the two losses he suffered to Sachin Ratti in as many meetings over the past five months, "Sachin really played well. I should have finished it when I had my chances but all credit to him. In the seven-point format, as I've said before, the shortened version of the game is bound to throw up several surprises. That brings the stronger players under that much more pressure. It is happening all over the world,'' observes Gopi. Since India's next major campaign comes up in the Commonwealth Games before the Asian Games in Pusan, Gopi has his plans cut out. "I'll play just in one tournament, may be the Malaysian Open, and concentrate on the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. I'll be losing a lot of ranking points because I won't be playing ranking tournaments. Further, India has not made it to the Thomas Cup finals. It must also be remembered that that Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are not considered IBF events. So no ranking points.'' With the IBF set to review the format during the Thomas Cup finals in the coming days, Gopi has this to say: "At the moment, there is a very mixed reaction. Unlike the Europeans, the Chinese are for the continuation of this (seven-point) system. But the Asian Badminton Confederation seems to be against it. There are rumours about adopting a new nine-point format, instead of seven. But I don't think frequent change in the format is good. We've had seven for a while now; so let it stay that way. Or, get back to 15 and don't talk about changing it ever. Now you make it nine and in another year, you experiment with something else. They must realise that they are playing with the careers of players. And don't forget that we have short careers. I hope, better sense prevails. The viewership of the sport and the interest of sponsors are to be kept in mind so that the sport benefits. Eventually, what matters is the betterment of sport.'' Irrespective of what the IBF decides, Gopi is set to move on. One only wishes that no more injuries come in the way of this gallant but wounded soldier.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|