‘Better rallies,fewer unforced errors’

What was your preparation for the World Championships like? What did you take from the victory over Japanese World No 17 Kenichi Tago in the first round?

*I knew what to expect from Kenichi Tago and hence put in double the effort in my training. I was confident going into the match and that showed in the first game. I started positively and was aggressive from the beginning. I kept the tempo going in the second game as well but got nervous towards the end and allowed him to get back in the game. I held my nerve and managed to pull through in the end,and that is a great positive that I took from the game. I was always good at the start but could never close out the matches with the top players.

How would you rate your performance on a scale of 1-10?

*I would give myself a 7. I started the tournament on a good note. In the second round I thought I faced my toughest test in Russian Vladimir Ivanov. Although I beat him in straight sets I found it difficult to figure out his game. He was tall,had a good net game and hit the shuttle hard. After I won the first game,things became easier and I managed to win it in the end. The game against the defending champ and Chinese World No 6 Chen Jin in the third round was a huge learning experience.

What did you gain in terms of experience from the Chen Jin game?

*Against Chen Jin,again,I played well in the first game and managed to win it. In the second I was two points apart from him,but lost seven points in a row. In the third game as well,I was up by one point but lost eleven points in a row. I was even dictating rallies at one point but he just kept returning everything. I got into panic mode and tried some hard shots and lost out badly. I learned to be more patient because the top seeded players are used to playing intense rallies and wearing their opponents out. Instead of going for the easy points I will look to focus on improving my rallies and making less unforced errors.

What made you change your training center from Bangalore to Lucknow and change your coach to Tom John?

*I was playing for a French club last year,which was when I met Tom John,who at the time was the Portuguese national coach. I had a few sessions with him and he gave some good tips. He told me to play more aggressively and that has helped me in the recent past. When he started training in the Lucknow center recently,he asked me to come and join. I went for a trial run and with the personal attention he was giving me and the kind of relentless training he undertook,I noticed a marked improvement in my game and decided to take it on as a full time thing.

Do you think you can make the cut for the Olympics? What will your preparation be like for the event?

*I do think I have a realistic chance to qualify for the Olympics. But there is a lot of time for the event and I would like to concentrate on the other big tournaments like the Super Series events leading up to it. A quarterfinal or a semifinal performance in the Super Series events at the least is what I will be looking for initially. This will increase my ranking and give me a better chance to qualify. Also if you are looking to qualify for the Olympics you would want to go there to win a medal. And unless I perform well in the tournaments leading up to it,I wont be able to do well in the Olympics.

What will your tournament calendar be like for the year ahead?

*I will be playing a tournament in Vietnam next week followed by two more tournaments in Asia. I will then be going to Germany to play for a club in Hamburg. The German League is of a higher standard than the French league that I played in a year ago and it will help my finances a great deal. But ahead of that I will have to sit with my coach and chalk out exactly which tournaments I will play.