Kidambi Srikanth relishing tournament-mode despite Malaysia Open silver finish
Kidambi Srikanth emphasised that he is simply happy to be back in tournament mode—competing again after a prolonged injury phase—even though his return culminated in a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Open 2025. The 32-year-old went down 11-21, 9-21 to China's Li Shi Feng in the men's singles final on Sunday, bringing a gritty week to a close.Despite the straight-game defeat, Srikanth's run to the final was filled with encouraging signs. Starting from the qualifying rounds, he steadily built momentum through the tournament. A key highlight came in the semi-final, where he secured a clinical win over Japan's Yushi Tanaka in straight games, displaying sharp control and court awareness.advertisement"I didn't know people really missed me! But I'm very happy to be back. I fell during the Singapore Open last year and had to take a break. It ended up being longer than I expected. And then I got married in November last year, so that was another break. I started playing again in January this year," Srikanth said.
"Coming back from injury and a long break is always tough. You haven't played many matches, so it's not easy to directly get into tournament mode. But I think the biggest positive is that I'm feeling much better physically now, and I just want to continue from here," he added.It was his first appearance in a BWF World Tour final since the 2019 India Open—ending a six-year drought. The result also marked his best finish since clinching silver at the 2021 World Championships, and it came at a time when many had started to count him out. Srikanth, once a fixture in the world's top ten, had fallen to as low as No.82 in the rankings earlier this month, following repeated injury setbacks and missed competitive spells.advertisementThe road back has been far from smooth. An ankle issue sidelined him for a large part of last year, compounded by missed Olympic qualification opportunities and limited match time. But in Kuala Lumpur, Srikanth looked physically freer and mentally clearer, working his way through tightly-contested matches with a calmness that had been missing of late.Having won four Superseries titles in 2017—Srikanth now appears focused on enjoying the sport again, rather than chasing immediate results.
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