Over the last one year, while there wasn’t much success for Indian singles shuttlers, barring HS Prannoy’s bronze medal at the World Championships, it was Priyanshu Rajawat’s rise that impressed everyone. After having raked up a win against Lakshya Sen in the first round of the India Open, Rajawat is more confident now, and wants to enter the top-10 by the end of the year.
“I want to try and qualify for the Olympics this very year. But if I’m unable to achieve that, my wish is to break into the top-10 ranking by the end of this year. I want to play well at the All England Open and win a medal at the World Championships,” the 21-year-old told the New Indian Express.
“Since this (event) was happening in India, I wanted to win at least two, three rounds more. My opening-round win was huge for me. For a long time, I hadn’t had a good win. So that match (vs Lakshya) was vital for me to win and gain some confidence.
“I tried my best to win on Thursday (against Prannoy) as well. After pocketing the first game, I had some issues with my ankle. Despite that, I was trying my best to win the match.”
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Going further, the youngster wants to be more patient. “I want to focus on my fitness and gain strength so that I can play more tournaments. I also need to develop patience. I also look at other shuttlers’ games and analyse the same.”
