HS Prannoy Crashes Out In India Open Round Of 32, Reflects On Chikungunya Disease After-Effects

The life and career of HS Prannoy have been on difficult tracks in recent months, but this wrestling period has made him even more determined to continue working hard, for him the key ingredient to stay in the upper levels of the badminton in the world. “Wounds and health problems such as a chikungunya infection saw him do a pre-artist-master outing of the Paris Olympic Games, before the appearance of the second round, Malaysia, Super 1000 earlier this month offers a ribbon of hope.

But the wheels came to collapse with a defeat of 21-16, 18-21, 12-21 against Su Li Yang de Taipei Chinese in Open Super 750 India Wednesday.

“The last months have been difficult, but things are surely improving. I can also see the improvement of my game. I think it will be a difficult challenge for me to play regularly at a high level without break,” Prannoy told journalists.

By reflecting on its recovery from Chikungunya, Prannoy admitted that the road to full shape was difficult.

“Post-Chikungunya, it was really difficult to return to normal. Being on the field probably shows how bad the after-effects. I am about 60 to 70% in terms of physical form. It was important for me to continue playing in the circuit and to remain involved,” he said.

“Malaysia was a decent outing, but I had a few after that, which made it difficult today. But I am happy to be back on the circuit. Today, I was slow, but overall, I am satisfied with the way I played. We are starting to start and focus on the circuit,” he added.

The 32 -year -old man can now stay in the top 30 will require a huge physical and mental effort, given the average age of players at the highest level which drops considerably.

“I love playing in tournaments. I know that being in the top-30 of the world will not be easy, especially in simple male. It is physically brutal there. The average age in the highest level has increased to 23-24, so it is crucial to be physically strong,” said Prannoy.

“It takes a lot of work to be physically ready. For some, it may seem easy to play badminton, but it is actually a very physically demanding game. The time you have to spend on the physical side just to play a three set match every day is huge,” he added.

In 2018, Prannoy was diagnosed with a gastroesophageal reflux and in 2020, he fought against COVID-19.

Despite these setbacks, 2022 and 2023 marked a career resurgence for him, leading India to a historic victory of the Thomas Cup and claiming individual bronze at Asian Games and the world championships.

However, his world collapsed at the beginning of last year with another gastrointestinal disorder, followed by Chikungunya a few weeks before the Olympic Games.

“It was difficult, but I do not think back to what has already happened. I focus on improvement and to advance in the coming months. This is what I look forward to, and that really does not affect what happened.

“I accepted that everyone’s journey is different, and mine is also different. I just need to find the answers to improve myself. I am ready to work hard, and no matter the results, I agree with that,” he noted.

“If I work hard, I think somewhere or in a tournament, everything will be set up and that’s probably why I work hard.” Prannoy could not train regularly without taking breaks, while the persistent chikungunya pain continues to resurface.

“It was from top to bottom in the training sessions, especially after Chikungunya. There were a lot of strange pain to come at random during training, and sometimes I have to go back from the court for a few days to treat them, then come back to play.” But his motivation remains high.

“I have been more motivated in the past six months than before. I was really motivated to resume the circuit and to play. I am always ready for training, and it’s a good sign. But there will be bad days when you don’t feel it. That’s part of the trip.” But Prannoy readjusted on short -term objectives.

“At this stage of my career, I focus more on short-term goals. I do not look too far because of what happened last year. It is important to stay in short to maintain motivation. When the objectives are too long, you can be mentally discouraged if things are not going,” he proposed.

“So, I focus on short -term goals, I work very hard for them. With tournaments that were coming without stopping, we will finally find this good patch, and we will have to take advantage of it when it happens.” Prannoy’s next assignment will be in the European circuit, starting with the German Open at the end of February and looks in advance for brighter days.

(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)