Two years ago, H S Prannoy was a frustrated shuttler staring at uncertainties. A major title had still eluded him, he was sidelined for the Arjuna Award year after year, the COVID-19 pandemic had upset his fitness plans and he was even finding it tough to manage funds for competing in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournaments. He, however, did not let the adversities keep him down and with an unwavering focus, the 31-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram has rediscovered himself and is perhaps in the best form of his life.
Prannoy, a former Youth Olympic Games silver medallist, was a key member of the Indian team which scripted a historic triumph at the 2022 Thomas Cup. Prannoy, who tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Swetha Rachel Thomas last September, finally got his hands on the coveted Arjuna Award last year. He ended his long wait for a BWF World Tour tile by emerging victorious in the Malaysia Masters Super 500 event in May. The world No. 9 has been consistency personified of late and finished runner-up in the Australian Open in Sydney on Sunday.
"I have been playing consistently well ever since I returned to the top-10 (after more than four years) last December. The biggest change has been the mental clarity and it has a lot to do with me getting more exposure. I have become smarter in playing according to the match situations. I now know when to slow down or when to up the ante," Prannoy told Onmanorama over the phone from Hyderabad where he is training at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy.
Prannoy is quick to point out the role played by his support team in his success. "Gopi bhayya (Gopichand) is the head coach and for the past six month Guru (Guru Sai Dutt) is there as my personal coach. Since he is my contemporary I can discuss some topics or points more freely with him than with Gopi bhayya. Having been a top-20 player, Guru can point out certain specific areas," said Prannoy.
The ability to bounce back, especially after losing the opening game, has been one of the marked areas of improvement for Prannoy. He has remained in top shape to cope up with the challenges. "It helps that my trainer (Rahul George Mathew) has been there for the past four years. I have started doing more workouts with less intensity on a weekly basis. Even on matchdays I make it a point to workout for at least 30-40 minutes," said Prannoy.
The Thomas Cup and Malaysia Masters triumphs have been truly special for Prannoy. He won the decider against Malaysia and Denmark in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. "The fact that I could come good at the crunch was really pleasing. The Thomas Cup victory was a big boost to me personally and I rode on that momentum for five-six months. The recent Malaysia Masters triumph at the early stage of the Paris Olympic qualifiers too was equally important. It eased the pressure on me considerably."
Prannoy feels there are no easy games on the BWF Tour nowadays as barring world No. 1 Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, most of the top players could get the better of each other. "Axelsen has been the standout player in the past couple of years. Anyone from No. 2 to No. 35 can beat each other on a given day. Unlike in the past when you were worried about running into Lee Chong Wei or Lin Dan, the draw hardly matters now. There are no easy games."
Prannoy defeated world No. 2 Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the Australian Open quarterfinals before going down to China's Weng Hong Yang in a thrilling final. In fact he let slip a 19-14 lead and a championship point before losing 20-22 in the decider. "I was a bit disappointed considering the fact I was not really challenged for most of the third game. Then suddenly he won three-four points and the pressure was on me. But that's sports. You learn from these mistakes and move on," he said.
The World Championships, which begins in Copenhagen on August 21, is the next major assignment for Prannoy followed by the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. "It's a hectic schedule for sure. Some times you want to take a break, but then you are worried about other players overtaking you. I prefer to take it one tournament at a time," Prannoy added.
