HYDERABAD: The big win over 2012 Olympic champion
Li Xuerui
transformed her career, revealed world champion
PV Sindhu in a chat with paddler Mudit Dani on his online show.
Sindhu, a bronze medallist at the 2013 World championships, had suffered some heartbreaking losses, before changing the colour of the medal in Basel in 2019. But she rated the win over Xuerui very high for what it did to her career.
"The turning point for me was when I beat Li Xuerui in 2012. She was the Olympic champion at that point of time and I beat her in the quarterfinals (of the
China Masters
)," reminisced Sindhu on Sunday and added that the win not only boosted her confidence, but made her work harder.
Sindhu is a fan of Taufik Hidayat’s backhand. The Indonesian is the 2016 Olympic gold medallist in Rio, where Sindhu had to settle for silver. The
Hyderabadi shuttler
recollected a surprise gift from one of her fans on arrival from Rio. It was the fan’s one-month salary. "It was so touching that I remember it even today. I wrote him a letter and sent him some money," the world No. 7 said.
The shuttler is making good use of her time during the pandemic-enforced break and has also picked up some new skills. "I have been learning a few things. I paint nowadays. I am also cooking and baking. It's really interesting because earlier it was always
badminton but now I’m learning different stuff which is creative," said Sindhu.
The 25-year-old also lauded the importance of
Khelo India
initiative and spoke of the importance of support for rising stars to excel.