It's now or never for Anup Sridhar

MUMBAI: Fortunes swing, and how. A year and half ago Anup Sridhar was the toast of Indian badminton after his quarter-final surge at the World Championships. In fact, during the event, Sridhar was the star, Saina was only emerging.
Cut to the present, Sridhar has been pushed to the sidelines, still struggling with the ankle injury he suffered just before the Beijing Olympics last August.The 25-year-old is no longer the same player. In contrast, Saina is now among the best in the world.
Injuries are bound to strike any sportsperson, but in Sridhar���s case it couldn���t have come at a worse time. It has proved to be a huge setback which reflects in his string of early losses in the six tournaments he has played this year.
Initially, well wishers were patient and sympathetic. But now, the likes of Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar feel the shuttler isn���t giving his 100 percent.
"Players can���t ask for sympathy. They have to face injuries and come out of it. Anup isn���t mentally strong enough," former national coach Vimal told TOI on the sidelines of the launch of a Tata-Padukone feeder centre at CCI on Wednesday.
Padukone said it was time Sridhar bounced back. "The time is now. He isn���t playing anything for the next couple of months. He should utilise this time to train hard. He is a top-10 player, just that the commitment is missing," he said.
Sridhar refused to react to the coaches��� observations, but felt the next couple of months are crucial.
"The injury has taken its toll and sure, it���s a different level of confidence that you feel going into a match when you are fully fit. I still feel as if I won���t be able to last for the entire duration of a match. Hopefully, these two months will help me regain my touch," he said.