3 matches in 24 hours: PV Sindhu criticizes badminton schedule after missing medal

If HS Prannoy’s concerns about badminton schedule were significant, PV Sindhu’s experience provided a vivid example of why the players were unhappy.

Sindhu played three singles matches in 24 hours at the Asian Games, starting with her second match on Saturday at 12.07pm on Sunday before returning to the court around 1pm later that day for the quarter-final against Chen Yufei.

She appeared to tire as the three-game battle wore on, eventually losing 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 to the Chinese fourth seed.

When asked if she had ever played two matches in a major championship before, Sindhu did not mince words.

“Actually no, because the planning was not really well organized, that’s what I feel,” Sindhu said afterwards, according to PTI. India’s campaign in individual events is over.

“We literally slept really late and then came back in the morning (Sunday), played two games in a day. The most important priority is recovery.”

PV Sindhu defeated world number seven Tomoka Miyazaki and their third-round match did not end until 1.30am local time on Sunday. Sindhu returned to the court for her quarter-final against Chen Yufei less than 12 hours later.

In an unprecedented scheduling decision, all singles players played two matches on Saturday.

When asked how she prepared herself mentally to play three matches in 24 hours, Sindhu said that the issue is not just about mental preparation.

“It’s more than mental preparation, you need to recover. Even if you think you’re doing well, physically you might not be able to go there or not be able to play.”

“When there are long rallies, definitely, recovery. When you had a good thing, you would automatically (drive), but your legs weren’t moving.

“But other than that I think it was a good game overall, just that the schedule should have been a little better.

Unnati Hooda, who also went down in a grueling three-game quarter-final against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, was not similarly impressed by the schedule, although she stopped short of blaming it for her defeat.

“I won’t blame it on my loss (in the quarterfinals) but the schedule could have been managed better,” she said, according to PTI.

Prannoy’s concerns were not limited to unusual planning on paper. He pointed to the practical impact on the players, recalling how the team event medal ceremony ended around 11:15 p.m., with athletes having to travel for an hour, only eat at around 12:30 or 1 a.m., and in some cases return to the court at 9 a.m. the following morning. He also questioned why the badminton competition could not be extended by a day when the Asian Games continued till October 4.

NO REVIEW, NO WAY

There was another source of frustration for Sindhu during her quarterfinal.

Some of the calls were very close but Sindhu had no chance to challenge them as Hawk-Eye was only available on the exhibition courts. Sindhu played the quarterfinals on Court 4.

“There were no cameras here. That was really sad. I felt there were 2-3 shots on the line. There should have been a camera in the quarter-finals at the Asian Games, I feel. Because these are key matches.”

Asked if she was unsettled by the calls to the hotline, which she felt went against her, Sindhu explained why the absence of a control system could prove costly.

“If you get it, it’s good. You have the upper hand. You’re playing the cameras, you’re playing the reviews.”

“We can contest it, or if it’s your point, you have a one-point advantage. Sometimes the opponent can’t move and the shuttle drops there and the linesman calls it. And if you call, you get a point.”

“So it’s kind of an advantage. In the second game, I felt like 2-3 shots were clear. But the linesman, you can’t do anything about that.”

And when the badminton competition ended on Sunday, India remained without an individual medal at the Asian Games for the first time in 12 years. The men’s bronze team remained the country won in Aichi-Nagoya.

– The end