Latest news with #PullelaGopichandBadmintonAcademy
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Nagpur gets Gopichand-style academy from two illustrious students: Arundhati-Arun
1 2 3 4 Nagpur: Come Sunday and Nagpur will inaugurate its first professional badminton training facility, following the model of India's most successful Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. The state-of-the-art centre will cater to players across all skill levels. The Arundhati Arun Badminton Academy (AABA) will commence operations at Besa, utilising the facilities of Nirmal Sports Academy, a venture of the Nayse family. The academy will provide training to beginners, amateurs and elite professionals under experienced coaches. In a major first for Central India, the AABA is a premier professional badminton academy founded by former Indian badminton stars SR Arun Vishnu and Nagpur's very own Arundhati Pantawane. This makes Arun and Arundhati the first Indian badminton couple to set up a professional academy in the region. Addressing media persons on Thursday, the former National Games champion and world No. 49 Arundhati said, "The AABA is founded with a vision of strengthening India through badminton. With a mission to train athletes from grassroots to elite international levels, AABA offers world-class coaching, advanced facilities, and comprehensive training programmes." Arun Vishnu, a five-time national mixed doubles champion and former world No.37, expressed enthusiasm about training regional talent. "We have shifted from Hyderabad to Nagpur to start our own set up. Our aim is to train the promising players from the region and give them a perfect platform to launch their career. I am sure in the years to come, you can see players from our academy shining at the national and international level," said Arun, who had served as Indian team doubles coach. Both Arundhati and Arun gave the credit to Gopichand. Arundhati said, "We are what, we are today, is only because of Gopi sir. We thank him for the efforts he put in us and for making us successful. Its time to pass on the baton to the next generation." Nirmal Sports Academy's Sachin Nayse said they signed a five-year deal with AABA for the benefit of local players. "We constructed a huge badminton hall keeping in mind the talented players of the region. Earlier, top local players used to shift to major academies in Hyderabad or Bengaluru. But now they will get all the best facilities here. Both Arundhati and Arun are not only top badminton players of their playing days but have now also established themselves as leading coaches," said Nayse. The facility features five hova badminton flooring on wooden surface, gymnasium, changing rooms, Yonex store, and spectator gallery for 600 people, suitable for national coaching camps and tournaments. The coaching team includes Rutvik Kiran, Tanmay Gawande, Atul Tamrakar, Akshaya Warang and Sanskriti Chabra. Ramesh Nayse and Sushant Nayse of Nirmal Sports Academy attended the announcement.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Fanly App Launched in Hyderabad to Unite Indian Badminton Community
Hyderabad: In a landmark move for Indian sports, Fanly—a revolutionary social engagement app aimed at connecting the entire Indian badminton ecosystem—was officially launched in Hyderabad. The Fanly app was unveiled by Padma Bhushan and Chief National Coach of the Indian Badminton Pullela Gopichand along with Sridevi Sira, VP -The Smart Bridge & former Skills Lead at NASSCOM and Co-founders – Fanly at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, ISB Road, Gachibowli. Fanly's new initiative, Badminton India, aims to bring together top national players, rising talents, and fans onto a single digital platform, fostering a more engaged and interactive badminton community. Speaking at the launch event, Pullela Gopichand emphasized the need for such a platform: Badminton in India has seen incredible growth, but what we lacked was a space where the entire community could come together. Fanly bridges that gap and opens up new avenues for players and fans to connect meaningfully." One of the founders of the Fanly app added, 'Badminton is one of the fastest-growing sports in India, and yet there hasn't been a digital space that truly connects the community—until now. With Fanly's Badminton India, we're giving fans unprecedented access to the sport and its stars, while empowering players to grow their personal fanbases.' Whether you're a national-level player, a school athlete, or just someone who loves the game, Fanly's Badminton India is your new home. Available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Fanly is built to reshape how fans interact with sports and entertainment personalities Fanly is a next-generation fan engagement platform that redefines how stars connect with their followers. It empowers celebrities to build safe, authentic communities while giving fans exclusive access to their favorites. In contrast to chaotic and impersonal social media, Fanly offers a secure, AI-powered space focused on positivity, control, and meaningful connection, he added. Kanuri Vamshidhar -Treasurer and U.V.N Babu Protocol Joint Secretary of Badminton Association of Telangana, Supriya Devgun -Badminton Gurukul founder, Bronze Medalist, BWF World Senior Badminton Championship were also present. Delete Edit
Hans India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
App launched to unite badminton lovers
Hyderabad: In a landmark move for Indian sports, Fanly – a revolutionary social engagement app aimed at connecting the entire Indian badminton ecosystem – was officially launched in Hyderabad on Sunday. The Fanly app was unveiled by Padma Bhushan and Chief National Coach of the Indian Badminton Pullela Gopichand along with Sridevi Sira, VP -The Smart Bridge & former Skills Lead at NASSCOM and Co-founders – Fanly at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, ISB Road, Gachibowli. Fanly's new initiative, Badminton India, aims to bring together top national players, rising talents, and fans onto a single digital platform, fostering a more engaged and interactive badminton community. Speaking at the launch event, Pullela Gopichand emphasised the need for such a platform: Badminton in India has seen incredible growth, but what we lacked was a space where the entire community could come together. Fanly bridges that gap and opens up new avenues for players and fans to connect meaningfully.' One of the founders of the Fanly app added, 'Badminton is one of the fastest-growing sports in India, and yet there hasn't been a digital space that truly connects the community – until now. With Fanly's Badminton India, we're giving fans unprecedented access to the sport and its stars, while empowering players to grow their personal fanbases.' Available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, Fanly is built to reshape how fans interact with sports and entertainment personalities. 'Fanly is a next-generation fan engagement platform that redefines how stars connect with their followers. It empowers celebrities to build safe, authentic communities while giving fans exclusive access to their favorites. In contrast to chaotic and impersonal social media, Fanly offers a secure, AI-powered space focused on positivity, control, and meaningful connection,' he added.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Malaysia Masters: Fit-again Srikanth shows vintage form, ends long wait for a title clash
In the hours after he beat Japan's Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 24-22 in the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters World Tour 500 event, Kidambi Srikanth would have got a fair number of congratulatory messages. It's easy to see why. The win takes him to his first major final since 2021. It is also his first summit clash on the World Tour in nearly six years – having previously reached the India Open final in March 2019. There's one notable absentee in Srikanth's message or call lists though. It's former India No. 1 Parupalli Kashyap who is one of the coaches Srikanth is currently training with at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad (he also trains with RMV Gurusaidutt and Pulella Gopi Chand). 'I've not called or messaged Srikanth for the last week. Right now, I don't want to do anything that might jinx him,' says Kashyap. If Kashyap's unwilling to risk anything that might break the momentum behind Srikanth, it's because he knows just how significant this moment is for the 32-year-old. 'I've seen Srikanth throughout his career. I've admired him as an opponent but also as a player and now as a coach. I've seen him rise and fall and go through so many highs and lows. This is such an important moment for him. He's had a lot of tough years in recent times,' Kashyap says. Acute struggle The struggle has been acute since mid 2022. Although he failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, he ended the year on a high, winning a silver at the World Championships. He had been one of the linchpins of India's historic gold medal at the Thomas Cup in May 2022. Since then, persistent injuries – to his ankle, knees and back – and a resulting loss of form and confidence followed. He failed to qualify for the 2024 Games in Paris and as the slide extended into 2025, his rankings started to tumble. Once ranked World No. 1, Srikanth fell to 82 in the BWF Rankings at the start of May 2025. For several years, Srikanth was the undisputed best male singles player in the country. Currently, there are nine Indian men ranked higher than him. That slide meant that Srikanth had to come through the qualification round to make it to the main draw – something he had to do even at the Malaysia Masters. 'No matter what anyone says, it's a huge hit to the ego, especially if you have played at the elite level for as long as someone like Srikanth has,' says Kashyap. READ | Srikanth enters Malaysia Masters final after beating Yushi Tanaka in straight games Recent results hadn't been confidence-boosting. Going into the Malaysia Masters this week, Srikanth had an 8-8 win-loss record for the year, with three of those victories coming in the qualifying round. In the current Asia leg of the World Tour, Srikanth had lost to Ayush Shetty in the second round of the Taipei Open. He also went down to Tharun Mannepalli in the second round of qualification at the Thailand Open last week. Even for someone who has seen Srikanth's struggle in recent years, the last few months have been especially difficult. 'Honestly, he had a very rough 6-8 months. With his ranking, it gets even tougher when we aren't even sure which tournaments to play and get results in. It's been a tough ride,' admits Gurusaidutt. Despite these defeats, Gurusaidutt, who was sitting in the coaches chair behind Srikanth at the Malaysia Masters, was hopeful of a turnaround. 'Srikanth wasn't getting the big results but he's been having good matches where he wasn't able to convert the big points. Last year, he was up 19-12 in the third game against Kento Momota in the Asian Team Championships and he lost from there. He was up 16-13 against Lu Guang Zu in the third game at last year's French Open but lost from there. In both matches, he was dominating the match before he lost. He became really aggressive when he tried to close them off and that ended up costing him,' says Gurusaidutt. Backing off to win Gurusaidutt says he, Kashyap and coach Gopi Chand spoke to Srikanth about that aggression that cost the matches. However, he also understood why Srikanth was playing that way. 'All three of us (Kashyap, Gopi Chand and Gurusaidutt) felt there was a need for him (Srikanth) to back off some of these over ambitious shots. Against Momota, he was leading 19-14 when he had the chance to place a shot from the front court but ended up hitting it into the net because he was trying to force a winner. The reason he even went for that half chance is because he was physically not fit enough and anyone who saw him play could see that. He had to go for the lines and hit as close to the net because he wasn't sure if he could stay in a longer rally,' he says. This lack of fitness wasn't because of any lack of intent in training for Srikanth. 'There's no one who is as hard working as him. You tell him to do anything and he will. But he just had constant niggles that didn't allow him to train as much as he needed to. This was probably inevitable. He's 32 now. He's not the same 25-year-old who could push himself without noticing the impact it was having on his body,' says Kashyap. It's only in 2025, following the Swiss Open in March, that Srikanth was able to train the way he needed to. 'With players of the level and experience that Srikanth has, it doesn't matter what's happened in the last several years. All they need is a good six-week block of training and you can see the difference,' says Gurusaidutt. Improved fitness But Srikanth isn't just in a better shape physically. 'One thing I'd told Srikanth was that while as a coach he was great to work with, he needed to be more responsible for his own training. In fact, in these last few weeks, he has been taking a lot of initiative in that. He's been able to take control of his training. His practise sessions have focus on finding his speed not just with his movement on court but also his racquet speed,' says Kashyap. But it's that improved fitness that both Kashyap and Gurusaidutt feel have made the most difference. 'Even though he didn't go very far in both Taipei and Thailand, he's been able to keep up his intensity for a third straight week. He's already played six matches at the Malaysia Masters and two of those matches (first round against Lu Guang Zu and quarterfinal against Toma Junior Popov) have gone to three games. There's never been one match where it seemed he was struggling physically. He's been able to attack while still keeping enough of a margin for himself. It's only when you are doubtful of your fitness that you go for the lines but he knows he has the ability to play three games if he has to. I don't think he's been in this shape since just before the Olympic qualification period. When he had those questions over fitness, he was approaching the match thinking of managing the match. But now that he is fit, he is thinking strategically on how to win individual points rather than trying to figure out how to conserve yourself,' says Kashyap. That improved fitness means Srikanth is willing to play a more measured and less error-prone game. 'More than attacking all the time, he knows when he needs to back off,' says Gurusaidutt. A big moment for 🇮🇳 Kidambi Srikanth! Hear what he had to say after the win. 🎙️#BWFWorldTour# — BWF (@bwfmedia) May 24, 2025 This is something Srikanth has observed as well. 'It's been a while since I've won this many matches in a tournament and I hope I can continue to do so. I've always been trying to better myself and this win just proves that whatever I'm doing is working,' Srikanth told BWF media after his win. His job isn't done just yet. In his four main draw matches, Srikanth has beaten players all ranked higher than him - World No. 13 Lu Guang Zu in the first round, World No. 33 Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in the second round, World No. 18 Toma Junior Popov of France in the quarterfinal, and World No. 23 Yushi Tanaka of Japan in the semifinal. His biggest test will come in the final against World No. 4 Li Shi Feng of China. The two have played each other four times with the Chinese, a former two-time junior world champion, winning on the last three occasions. While it is the Chinese player who will go in as the favourite, it would be hard to count Srikanth out just yet. 'Right now, he must be full of confidence. His run in this tournament would have reminded him not just that he can be in the top 10 but that he absolutely belongs at this level,' says Kashyap.
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand on breaking new ground
The last Olympic cycle for Indian badminton was mainly about 'Sat-Chi' — the power-packed men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty — and the dreams of an elusive gold. At the same time, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand or 'TreGa' were gradually learning the tricks of the trade in the demanding discipline of women's doubles. Hyderabad's Gayatri (22), the daughter of Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand, and Kannur's Treesa (21) were predominantly singles players on the junior circuit before the coaches decided to pair them up in 2021. The duo has been grinding in the shadows for the last four years — developing chemistry, chasing titles and ranking points, and tackling injuries. With Treesa nursing a shoulder issue, the pair had to miss the Badminton Asia Championships (April 8-13) and will also skip the upcoming Sudirman Cup (April 27 - May 4). But this time away from courts, something which elite athletes seldom get, has also provided the duo a chance to reflect on their journey so far. In an interview at their training base — the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad — the two shuttlers tell Sportstar about the learnings from missing out on Paris 2024, the battles with the top-ranked Chinese pair, and breaking new ground. Gayatri Gopichand: We just have to support each other because in doubles, it happens. Your partner is not fit sometimes. As athletes, we get injured pretty often. We'll get back stronger by the end of it. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL/THE HINDU You've been playing together since 2021. How has your partnership evolved — on and off the court? Gayatri: Earlier, I was playing singles, but I thought doubles would be best for me. So, I paired up with Treesa, and initially, in a few tournaments, it was great to see what it was like. Then we got into the All England Open (in 2022), which we never thought would happen. We performed well (reached semifinals), and that's where we shone. Since then, it's been a great journey. We've played some good matches with the top pairs, and I got to learn a lot. Treesa: In 2021, we started to play together. That's how I got to know Gayatri more, as in how she is. As a pair, we needed to share those moments. I am so grateful that, as a friend, off court also, she is so supportive. She is there if I need any help. You won your first big tournament on the BWF World Tour circuit at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow last year. Gayatri: It was the first time someone (Indian women's pair) had won. I didn't know that until we won the tournament. It's a great feeling to win in the country. After winning the tournament, both of us were in tears. Treesa: We always dreamt of winning such tournaments. Being on the podium and receiving that gold medal is a different feeling. The fans were calling us with different names. It was like a dream. It's happiness that can't be described. You narrowly missed out on Paris, but time is on your side. What did you take away from your first Olympic cycle? Gayatri: We missed out on the Paris Olympics, but that's not the end. The LA Olympics 2028 is coming up. We didn't lose heart. We kept training hard, just looking for opportunities in the next tournament. The Olympics is not the only important tournament. There are a lot more important events. It was heartbreaking to lose out on making it to the Olympics, but I feel more opportunities are coming our way. Treesa: Like she said, we missed out on the Olympics, but we did train continuously. It was a little hard to believe that we didn't qualify. But after that, the calendar was packed, and we started to play and perform from the next tournament. And at the end of the year, we won the Syed Modi International. It's the 'never give up' attitude. You mentioned that the calendar is packed. Does that make it tough to rest and recover? Treesa: We need to accept that the calendar is hard. We need to be very choosy about the tournaments we play. During the tournaments, we need to focus on our physical health and condition, and how we play and recover. It is not only for us. It is the same for everyone. That's the reality we need to accept. Treesa-Gayatri became the first-ever Indian women's doubles pair to win the Syed Modi International, a BWF World Tour Super 300 event, last year. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA/THE HINDU (To Treesa) How did you sustain your shoulder injury? Treesa: The day after the All England Open pre-quarterfinals, it was hurting, and it was hard to play. Still, we continued to play the Swiss Open. We reached the semifinals, but it was getting hard for me to smash. The physio said that I needed a break. We didn't take a break from January to March. We played continuous tournaments. That's why both of us decided to withdraw from the Asia Championships since it would be better for our health. Gayatri: We just have to support each other because in doubles, it happens. Your partner is not fit sometimes. As athletes, we get injured pretty often. We'll get back stronger by the end of it. Women's doubles is arguably the toughest among the five categories. The rallies can go up to 100-150 shots. How difficult is it to manage fitness? Treesa: Physically, it is demanding. If it is a good match, it can easily go past 90 minutes. When we both started playing at that level, it was very difficult for us to play the rally games. But now, we are fighting with the Asian players and we have improved our strength in these four years. Gayatri: Initially, it was a bit challenging. If we are playing against a top pair, it's going to be 90 minutes at least. You can't expect anything less. But we are giving them a fight at this point. You've had close battles with World No. 1s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, even though they lead 6-1. What makes this matchup so compelling? Gayatri: The first time we played against them at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in 2023, we beat them. After that, we've lost a few times. Even at the Swiss Open (semifinals) this year, we won the first set. Both of us were confident that we could take the second set but it just didn't go our way. Also, the Chinese pair has a different game compared to the usual women's doubles. It is more like men's doubles. They are more powerful as well. Treesa: At the Swiss Open, we could have won that match. I think it was the best match we played. Almost 90 minutes. Strength-wise, we need to accept that they are better than us, but if we improve those small areas, we can beat them. Which areas need improvement to beat top pairs such as Liu-Tan? Treesa: Play-wise, we are equal to those pairs, but physically and mentally, we need to be stronger to get the crucial points. You started your doubles journey under coach Arun Vishnu. Now, B. Sumeeth Reddy has become your coach. Treesa: We have learnt a lot from both the coaches. When Arun bhaiya was there, we had just started. We began to compete internationally, which was new for us. Bit by bit, standing on the side, he helped both of us improve our game. Sumeeth bhaiya has just started to coach us, and I am so grateful that he is there for us. In January (when they were ranked World No. 9), not only did you break into the Top 10, but you also went past the all-time highest ranking for an Indian women's doubles pair, which earlier belonged to Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who were World No. 10 at one point. Treesa Jolly: We need to accept that the calendar is hard. We need to be very choosy about the tournaments we play. It is the same for everyone. That's the reality we need to accept. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL Gayatri: I definitely didn't know that we crossed them in the rankings — that's not something we were looking for. We were really happy to break into the top 10, and it's just a nice feeling. It was overwhelming. Treesa: When we played the World Tour Finals in 2024, that was the last time Arun bhaiya was our coach. He told us that India's best women's doubles ranking has been World No. 10. If you manage to go higher, it will become history. You were the only Indian representatives at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last year. Tell us about the experience of making your debut at the season-ending event. Gayatri: We played against Liu-Tan in the first match. It was close. We won against the Malaysians (Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan). We were confident playing against the Japanese pair (Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida) but it didn't go our way. Even getting to contend against those pairs has been a great learning for us. Treesa: I had always seen the players playing on the red mat on TV. I also wanted to play on the red mat. The stadium and the ambience were great. We played really good matches there and gained a lot of experience. Tell us about the toughest environment you have faced during a tournament? Treesa: Last year, we faced the Indonesians (Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti) at the All England Open. Obviously, wherever you go, the Indonesian fans will be there. The audience was shouting more than the players. What are your goals for the rest of the season? Gayatri: Being consistent is one of the main things for us. We're on a break right now, but we'll start playing at the Thailand Open (May 13-18) and Malaysia Masters (May 20-25). Of course, the World Championships (August 25-31) are coming up. So, I'm just looking forward to those tournaments. In the last few years, the profile of doubles players has witnessed a significant rise. Treesa: I'm so happy to see the change. If we play the top-level tournaments and reach the quarterfinals, we get so many messages which boost our confidence. Gayatri: Satwik anna and Chirag are who I really looked up to when I was transitioning to doubles. They have been number one in the world. That's brought a huge change. After the matches, little kids are waiting for you to give autographs and say that they want to play doubles. It makes us really happy.
