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Journalism of Courage
Silver might be enjoying quite the rally at the markets, but in sport, the metal retains its sombre reputation for a second- place finish. But Tanvi Sharma has looked up to former World champion, and twice (2017 and 2018) silver medallist, PV Sindhu, as inspiration in turning silver into gold.
Tanvi tends to falter at Guwahati, and bounces back doubly stronger – as was seen after her Nationals title loss due to injury. Another defeat in a final – this time in the World Juniors – threw up the need to level up on another kind of fitness: the sorts where as one goes deeper into the week and lands in the final, one can actually unleash their best badminton. Playing Anyapat Phichitpreechasak, Tanvi once again found out the hard way that all the efforts of a week can come undone if one’s endurance levels are at the bottom of the barrel.
The drawback cost her the Juniors title, as she lost 15-7, 15-12, and Saina Nehwal remains India’s only junior world champion.
One crucial element of that October 2008 title run for Saina in Pune was what she did the day after her loss at the Beijing Olympics in the quarterfinals. She hit the gym at the Olympics Games Village and vowed to never run out of stamina in a big match, though shoring up endurance to optimum took her some time. Tanvi and her coaching team, who are aware of her diminishing energy reserves as the week wears on, will need to take that next step to avoid these Sunday heartbreaks. At the US Open earlier this summer too, Tanvi had strung together great results but got overpowered in the final. Prior to that, the Odisha Open finals defeat had stung.
“I always learn from my mistakes. I feel a bit disappointed but I tell myself I will be stronger. Sindhu di is my inspiration to pick myself and start fighting again. How she has come back (from silvers) has always motivated me,” Tanvi says.
Against Phichitpreechasak, Tanvi simply ran out of juice to hammer her smashes. Tired arms from the week, and especially the semifinal, meant Tanvi just couldn’t summon the bite in her kills. Most returns – ambitious overhead drops and stick-smashes that can drain one of power – ended up limp against the net, as the exhaustion showed straightaway.
Coach Park Tae-Sang had spoken about how endurance wasn’t Tanvi’s greatest ally, yet. And she had forsaken training to rest ahead of the semis. But final-specific recovery is a highly sophisticated process that goes beyond ice baths. And the whole might of science will need to kick in, as she turns to the seniors circuit full-time now.
Indications are that the whole dozen-strong batch at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati has been invited to continue there for two more years. And Tanvi can look back at the last 48 hours to determine what was missing in the final, even if she did extraordinarily well to make that far.
Phichitpreechasak is a talented Thai with a vast and deceptive repertoire of her own, and she used her efficiency in court movement and a very basic gameplan once she figured Tanvi was totally off rhythm, with her strokes not clearing the net.
The first game from the seemingly tougher side saw Tanvi lag behind from 4-4 onwards, though a bigger giveaway was her body language – mildly irritated that the strokes were not following her command. Sub-par physical fitness always messes with mental strength (the corollary is as true, Saina always believed she was mentally sturdy when physically stronger). And Tanvi seemed to be aware that the windmill arms, that could nuance the drops and vary the smashes, were slightly creaking from exhaustion.
The overhead deception game operates on fine margins, and needs accuracy and a mind that’s fresh, and even the likes of Tai Tzu-Ying took their time to get stronger, before the magic was unfurled. With her strokes lacking the punch from the shoulder, Tanvi was bound to fall behind and the first game disappeared quickly.
Phichitpreechasak has some delectable backhand drops and it was common for her to leave Tanvi stranded at the back corners, and float the shuttle to the front court. At 5-10, Tanvi’s almighty cross-court went wide, and the tiredness was apparent. Phichitpreechasak stayed simply consistent and took the game lead easily.
In the second, Tanvi came all guns blazing, but it was that desperate flare that lights up before extinguishing. Her twisting drops gave her a 5-1 lead, but she always looked a long rally away from falling apart. She had her chances in long rallies, in fact – even won two of the following ones – after Phichitpreechasak levelled at 8-8. But the tired smashes that went wide and long only increased her frustration.
Tanvi lost points in a clump – from leading 8-5 to trailing 8-12. Her last fight brought her up to 12-14, but she was in trouble when she got wrong- footed and stumbled – and the Thai coach even hinted to Phichitpreechasak that the Indian’s ankle might be in a spot of bother. In the end, the Indian’s final challenge came apart, though the way ahead is evident – she needs to improve her endurance and that might take a couple of seasons.
For this first chapter of her journey, Tanvi is thankful to her mother. “I owe everything to her. She taught me how to smash when I was very young. It shaped my game,” she says.
The duo will head back to Hoshiarpur and plan for the future. “She loves listening to songs. I share some of that love for music,” she says, adding that she treats this tournament as a bonus because she wasn’t expecting a medal as she wasn’t in great form.
But what Tanvi really achieved in Guwahati is bring India’s women’s singles back on track. The other three talents – Unnati Hooda, Rakshitha Ramraj and Vennala Kalagotla (though she has to decide on doubles), remain promising, and Tanvi’s run to the final sets up a nice internal competition as they transition to the senior circuit. There’s also Anmol Kharb in Europe, Shriyanshi Valishetty and Devika Sihag, scattered across the country, raising hopes for the future.
Tanvi has everything in her game and strokes that can be built upon into a fine game. But tournament endurance – something that Saina and PV Sindhu built towards when coming up – and recovery, will be two aspects that will determine if this World Junior silver converts into big gains in seniors.
