PV Sindhu isn’t finished, but needs to learn how to finish games and matches

The legacy of two Olympic and five World Championship medals doesn’t get tarnished because she’s dragging her feet literally in this last phase. But there’s enough data to prove that she’s repeating the same errors over and over again. And no one voicing an opinion has a solution to a specific problem: Sindhu’s struggles at the finish.

There’s an unsavoury word used to mock South African cricket. Sindhu herself fought these judgments off famously when she broke the streak of silver (read: lost finals) to win the 2019 World Championship. But age, 13 years of repetitive toil, a slowed-down game, suspect endurance and speed, and an inability to adapt like a technical chameleon (like Ratchanok Intanon and Carolina Marin did), have all brought on this horror phase.

The Sindhu smash has lost its power and sting, robbing her off her biggest weapon. And no coach – she’s had seven high-profile names – has managed to restore her dominance. Commentators at the Sudirman Cup tossed up a few theories, some laughable – she’s too happy and content in life after marriage – and some pretty sombre – that technically, she didn’t evolve beyond her power-based skill set to be able to navigate this phase, like Ratchanok or Marin did, broadening their games, in stroke variety and rally continuation.

Some or all of those might be true, but it has been tricky to identify this problem for commentators who watch her day in, day out, because of the manner of her losses. Fourteen of Sindhu’s last losses from 16 tournaments resulted because she couldn’t string together the last few points of a game. That is, she couldn’t finish.

Here’s some eye-popping stats in the last one year:

16 tournaments.

14 frittered losses.

19 times – lost from an advantageous or equal position, or after fighting to level game scores.

9 times – botched a chunky lead.

Sindhu doesn’t suddenly forget to play badminton, or to win points. She is clearly low on confidence, ideas and fitness (endurance), and cannot close out a game or a match.

Calls for repairing her game (she’s only 29) might be more prudent than those for retiring, because though the issues may be manifold and deep, the target area is specific – Finishing.

Collapses galore

The Sudirman Cup dredged up a familiar problem against Danish Line Kjaersfeldt, gifting her opponent her first-ever win in six face-offs. It was inexplicable. Sindhu led 20-16 in the opening game and lost 20-22. In the next one, she was up 19-12, and still lost 21-23. Four game points and a lead of 7 at 19 gone up in a smoky plume.

Indonesia Masters of 2024 saw Sindhu lead 20-14 against Vietnamese Thuy Lin Nguyen in the opening game. She ceded eight straight points to lose 20-22, and subsequently the match.

Sample these other leads in lost games: 13-10 to 17-21 against Julie Jakobsen at the Swiss Open, 13-9 to 21-23 against Yeo Jia Min at the China Masters, 14-12 to 17-21 against Michelle Li at the Kumamoto Masters, 15-10 to 20-22 against Carolina Marin at Singapore, 11-3 to 16-21 at the Malaysia Masters against Wang Zhi Yi, 15-10 to 18-21 against Han Yue at the Asian Championship, 2024.

There are other instances when Sindhu fought back from trailing or was near-level, but couldn’t push any more, all her energy consumed in getting to base camp with no fuel left for the ascent. Esther Wardoyo at Asian Championships, 2025 – 12-12 to 15-18 to 19-21; Jakobsen at Swiss Open – 9-16 to 17-17 to 17-21; Kim Ga Eun at All England – 2-7 to 12-12 to 13-21; Yeo Jia Min – 15-15 to 16-21; He Bing Jiao at Paris Olympics – 14-17 down to 19-19 to 19-21; Wen Chi Hsu at Indonesia Open 2024 in the decider, after bravely pushing for a decider – 12-12 to 15-21. And finally, twice to Han

Yue at Badminton Asia Championships 2024 – 15-10 to 17-17 to 18-21 and again in the decider – 10-11 to 17-21.

On the 12th and 17th points after levelling – Sindhu has faltered unfailingly. And these critical junctures is where Sindhu’s opponents accelerate – hand speed up, more power loaded in kills, swamping the Indian, burying her under quickly-strung-together points.

Sindhu concedes points in a cluster, and what has baffled most is why no coach has been able to stem those mistakes, as the 17-point mark invariably sees her freezing.

Sindhu’s losses against the deceptive Gregoria Mariska Tunjung are instructive: at Denmark, the Indian was a game and 6-9 down against the Indonesian, when she mounted an almighty comeback to win the second game 21-16. In the third, she was spent, losing 9-21. At the India Open, in the decider, Sindhu did well to catch up from 11-13 and 14-17 down to 17-17. Thereafter, she faded like a comet – the next four points to 17-21 a blur.

It could be endurance issues or a basic error in shot selection at the crunch. But each time she lets the shuttle drop on the backline, fervently hoping it drifts OUT but it lands IN, you wonder if she can summon the fight for the finish or it’s a metaphor for her larger career.

Sequence of leads squandered or finishes botched up in last one year:

Line Kjaersfeldt, Sudirman Cup

• 20-16 to 20-22
• 19-12 to 21-23

Esther Wardoyo, BAC

• 12-12, 15-18, 19-21

Julie Jakobsen, Swiss Open

• 13-10 to 17-21
• 9-16 to 17-17 to 17-21

Kim Ga Eun, All England

• 18-9 to 20-19 to 21-19
• 2-7 to 12-12 to 13-21

Thuy Lin Nguyen, Indonesia Masters

• 20-14 to 20-22

Tujung, India Open

• 14-10 to 21-19
• Did everything right – 11-13 to 14-17 to 17-17 to 17-21

Yeo Jia Min, China Masters

• 15-15 to 16-21
• 13-9 to 16-19 to 20-20 to 21-23

Michelle Li, Kumamoto Masters

• (21-17 up), 14-15 to 16-21
• 14-12, 17-16 to 17-21

Tunjung, Denmark

• 13-21, 6-9 down to 21-16. But third – 9-21

He Bing Jiao, Olympics 2024

• 14-17 to 19-19 to 19-21

Wen Chi Hsu, Indonesia Open 2024

• Decider: 12-12 to 15-21
• Had lost first, levelled second

Carolina Marin, Singapore Open 2024

• Decider: 15-10, 18-15, 19-19 to 20-22

Wang Zhi Yi, Malaysia Masters 2024

• Decider: 11-3, 13-8 to 13-13 to 16-21

Han Yue, BAC 2024

• 15-10 to 17-17 to 18-21
• Decider: 10-11 to 17-21