For the primary time in three years, PV Sindhu will start her season as early as the primary week of January. Having recovered from a foot damage that afforded her a much-needed four-month breather, Sindhu is about to open her 2026 marketing campaign on the Malaysia Open, a premier Tremendous 1000 match, beginning January 6 in Bukit Jalil.
The enforced break in 2025 got here at a merciless time. Simply as she was discovering her rhythm after a slew of early exits—highlighted by a gritty run to the World Championship quarter-finals the place she upset World No. 2 Wang Zi Yi—her physique let her down.
Malaysia Open might be streamed dwell on BWF’s YouTube channel in India. ,Preview,
Final yr was, doubtless, a testing interval for the two-time Olympic medalist. She completed the season with an uncharacteristic 11–15 win-loss document. Over the past 24 months, a mix of damage woes and fluctuating type has dragged her out of the world’s prime 10. But, the 30-year-old refuses to throw within the towel. She has reaffirmed that the fireplace nonetheless burns shiny, along with her sights firmly set on an unprecedented third Olympic medal at Los Angeles 2028.
THE FIRE IS STILL BURNING
Whereas Sindhu has nothing left to show—boasting two Olympic and 5 World Championship medals—greatness requires fixed feeding. Since clinching the Syed Modi Worldwide in late 2024, a title on the BWF Tour has eluded her.
The 2026 season is pivotal. Sindhu will lead the Indian problem at a number of main occasions, together with the All England Open, the Asian Video games, and a World Championship returning to Indian soil after 16 years.
Presently ranked World No. 18, Sindhu’s restoration has been meticulous. Below the steerage of coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama on the Heart for Badminton Excellence (CBE), she has been honing her sharpness by coaching towards high-intensity junior male shuttlers.
Vimal Kumar, former India worldwide and co-founder of the CBE, is optimistic about her prospects, noting that whereas match apply is skinny, her bodily freshness is a major asset.
“She is in fine condition. Her coach, Irwansyah, has been placing her by means of the paces. She was coaching with the junior boys on the academy. Her group—the physios and the trainers—are all proud of the best way she has recovered,” Vimal informed Indiatoday.in.
A MANAGEABLE DRAW IN MALAYSIA
The attract Bukit Jalil has been comparatively form. Sindhu faces world no. 31 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese language Taipei within the opening spherical. A victory there possible units up a conflict with eighth seed Tomoka Miyazaki, the previous Junior World Champion. Whereas reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi looms in her quarter, Sindhu has efficiently averted a untimely assembly with World No. 1 An Se Younger, towards whom she holds a frightening 0-8 document.
“Once more, match apply is a priority. However, thankfully, she is getting an honest draw. Along with her expertise, she will handle,” Vimal mentioned.
“A great begin is required. Sindhu hasn’t performed for the final couple of months. Once you get a not-very-established opponent, it might be a great platform. A win is essential. Enjoying and getting used to the circumstances in these main tournaments is essential. You’ll be able to’t replicate match apply in apply. She may be very contemporary. That is additionally a bonus.”
IS THERE A MENTAL HURDLE?
Past bodily health, the main target stays on tactical readability. Over the past 12 months, Sindhu has sought consistency in her teaching construction, fine-tuning her recreation to swimsuit an evolving girls’s singles panorama.
Nevertheless, Vimal means that her greatest problem stays being decisive within the “clutch” moments.
“She has to use herself on the courtroom slightly higher, convert alternatives higher. Typically, she appears to be in a state the place one thing is holding her again—she isn’t attacking when wanted and never defending, enjoying lengthy rallies when wanted,” Vimal mentioned.
“That is one thing she must work on. Discover the rhythm and play slightly extra freely. Many occasions, she has been tentative. It has been occurring fairly a while for her. So, hopefully, if she will convert that this season, will probably be nice. In apply, she seemed fairly good to me.”
IS AGE JUST A NUMBER?
The query that inevitably follows is whether or not a return to the very prime is lifelike.
At 30, Sindhu is a senior stateswoman in a sport that calls for explosive agility. Amongst her friends, solely Ratchanok Intanon (30) and Yamaguchi (28) stay within the prime 20. Carolina Marin continues to battle damage cycles, whereas Nozomi Okuhara has slipped to World No. 30.
Vimal believes the present ‘hole’ on the prime of the ladies’s circuit supplies a window for a Sindhu resurgence. Not like the ultra-competitive males’s circuit, Vimal argues the ladies’s discipline is much less formidable than it was 5 years in the past.
“The present crop, I do not suppose they’re as mature because the earlier lot,” Vimal mentioned. “A few of these older gamers are nonetheless round… however a few of these younger women do not look as sharp. Solely An Se Younger is absolutely dominating. Wang, the No. 2, has been enjoying rather well in patches. The opposite Chinese language women do not look robust to me. There’s a massive hole on the prime degree. Sindhu has expertise. She positively seems to be higher than the opposite women like Okuhara and Yamaguchi.”
THE MISSING CROWN
As Sindhu manages her workload with a pick-and-choose technique for 2026, one match stands out: The All England Open.
“I spoke to her, I simply mentioned ‘you take a look at sure occasions that you haven’t executed effectively’,” Vimal recalled.
“For instance, the All England Open. She has received the World Championships, she has received the year-ending Tour Finals. She will be able to now goal a few of these massive occasions and focus. She hasn’t executed effectively on the All England, so she ought to take a look at profitable it.”
Sindhu has all the time possessed the uncommon knack for stepping up when the lights are brightest. However at 30, the calls for are better, and the margins finer. A optimistic begin in Malaysia may present the early-season confidence that has been lacking over the previous two years, and set the stage completely for subsequent week’s India Open in New Delhi.
For the queen of Indian badminton, the climb again to the highest begins now.
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