The crack badminton combination of
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
and
Chirag Shetty
have reason to look back fondly at 2023. The duo ended a 60-year drought to win the first badminton gold for India at the
Asian Games
, became the first Indian pair to top the world rankings, the first Indian pair to win a Super-1000 tournament and first to win the Asian title. They have ticked many boxes last year and they are just starting.
Ever since they burst on the international scene by winning their first Super-500 title in Thailand in 2019, the explosive pair has stunned almost all the top teams in the world. Despite the Covid restrictions in 2020-2021, the duo found ways to train together when outdoor play was prohibited. During one such makeshift practice session in Mumbai, they zeroed in on
Mathias Boe
as their coach. The Dane, a silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, had retired from the game and was in Mumbai on a personal visit. Chirag convinced him to be their coach.
They reached great heights with Boe, winning their first World championships medal (bronze) in 2022 and produced a string of fine results. Even
PV Sindhu
and
Saina Nehwal
are yet to win the Asian title, considered as good as the World crown. Satwik-Chirag did it twice in 2023 - they won gold at the Asian championships in April and the Asian Games in September.
"The year has been very good," said Satwik. "We have not achieved all our targets but have achieved a few. Like becoming world No. 1 and winning two medals at the Asian Games. We will try to achieve some more targets next year." Injuries forced them to miss a few tournaments but Chirag was happy to end the season on a high. "Injuries affect all players. I am happy that we could end the season on a high," he said.
The men's doubles field is open and it is not easy to dominate. "Everybody in the top-tier events are good opponents. Not even the first rounds are easy. I can't pick one pair that is really, really good, which is the pair to beat. There are quite a few pairs who are quite good like Kang and Seo (Korea), Keng and Wang (China), Aaron and Soh (Malaysia),, Kim and Anders (Denmark). It is difficult to say who is the best. There are no easy matches in big tournaments," Chirag said.
The focus now shifts to Olympics and there are great expectations from the duo. If they win a medal, they will be on a par with Saina Nehwal (bronze in 2012) and Sindhu (silver in 2016 and bronze in 2020). The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is due recognition. "I thank the government for this huge honour. It gives us a great boost to do well in future," said Chirag, adding that an Olympic medal tops their priority list now.
"There are a few events before the Olympics - Malaysia Open (Super-1000) and All England. We would like to win a few events and return from the Olympics with a medal. Obviously, the Olympic year is big not only for us, but all the athletes," Chirag said.
Chief coach Pullela Gopichand, who accompanied the duo to a few tournaments, lauded the pair for what has been a splendid year for them. "This year has been fantastic for Satwik and Chirag. To help India win the Thomas Cup (2022) and be a part of this year's win at Badminton Asia Championships, the Asian Games and to become the world No. 1 pair for the first time ever in men's doubles is a phenomenal achievement by Satwik and Chirag," said Gopichand and added that despite men's doubles being an open field, Satwik-Chirag will be one of the favourites to go all the way.
"Next year will be challenging with the Olympics coming. I am sure they will be going in as one of the favourites. We will have tough competition. There are quite a few top players from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Denmark. It is a very open field," said Gopichand.
Denmark's Mathaias Boe, who is on a break now, will join the duo in January. "We have Mathaias Boe as part of our coaching team. He will spend a lot of time with Satwik-Chirag and I am sure the entire team is geared up. We expect good results in 2024, a very important year," Gopichand said.
Doubles ace
Jwala Gutta
felt that SatwikChirag should be careful about injuries in the all-important year. "We are lucky to have a pair like Satwik-Chirag. They are doing quite well now. But in an Olympic year, it is very important to stay away from injuries. If they take care of this aspect, they will have a very good chance of doing well at the Games," Jwala said.
English (US) ·