PV Sindhu And Tournament Finals: Not Made For Each Other
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Is P.V.
Sindhu scared of tournament finals? The way she stumbles at the last hurdle
would definitely point to having a thing about them. The latest loss came
against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the Indonesian Open. Since losing to
Carolina Maria in the 2016 Olympics final, Sindhu has won just five titles
while finishing second best 11 times. When one starts losing so many finals,
the opponents notice. They start planning differently and add to Sindhu's
misery.
Take the
Indonesian open, for example. On any given day, Sindhu would be expected to
beat Yamaguchi hands down as she has a 10-4 career advantage over her. But that
day, Yamaguchi changed her plans. She knew of Sindhu nervousness in finals and
transformed herself from a baseline rally player to an attacking smasher. This
threw Sindhu completely off guard and before she could think of anything, Yamaguchi
smashed her way to a 21-15, 21-16 victory. It was a planned demolition to which
Sindhu had no answers.
There is no
doubt Sindhu is a great player. But there is a big gap in being great and an
all-time great. She would definitely not want to be remembered as someone who
used to finish second best. She has the ability to put it across any player on
the circuit. Then why does she falter in the finals? Is it psychological? Or is
it about not having a plan B or plan C in place?
But
whatever it is, modern sport has become a team game even though it is the
individual who performs on the court. Hence, Sindhu has the resources of a coach, a
physical trainer and perhaps a mental trainer, among other support staff. If
the mental trainer has not succeeded in lifting her up in the last three years,
it is time to change him or her. There are many distinguished persons in the
field who have transformed the careers of many sportspersons. Sindhu must
approach one of them. She should immediately seek advice to get results that
are on par with her talent and ability.
