BWF Rankings: After a tremendous run in the BWF World Championships which culminated in a historic silver, Kidambi Srikanth has re-entered the top 10 world rankings after a gap of two years. The former World No. 1’s Huelva display has seen him rise up four places to be 10th in the latest rankings released on Tuesday, December 21. Follow Live updates on InsideSport.IN
Kidambi Srikanth never lost faith in himself despite missing out on the Tokyo Olympics. Now, he is glad that his toil has paid off, evidence of which is a historic world championships silver medal in the men’s singles competition.
“Olympics… I was also disappointed. If you look at it, I was still the highest ranked player from India. But, some tournaments were supposed to happen for Olympics qualification. Nearly, seven to nine tournaments got cancelled,” Srikanth said on Tuesday.
BWF Rankings: Kidambi Srikanth re-enters top 10 after two years following BWF World Championships silver
“First part of the qualification, I could not play because of my injury. Second part, I was fully fit. But, tournaments did not happen.
“2021, they said resumption… I played Swiss Open semifinal. I had said I was feeling confident, I can make it to the Olympics. But, again, every tournament got cancelled. Those things are something I don’t have any control over. So, I don’t want to talk about it.
𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 😍🔥@srikidambi entered 🔝 10 after 2 years@lakshya_sen achieved career high ranking@P9Ashwini & @sikkireddy entered top 20@PRANNOYHSPRI moved 6 ranks 🆙
Keep up the good work guys! 👊#IndiaontheRise#Badminton
📸 Badminton Photo pic.twitter.com/UOHHIRi96W— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) December 21, 2021
“I felt that day that Olympics is not the end of the world. I thought that I will have my own chances. I worked towards it. I am just happy that everything paid off.”
Seeking to become a better player by working on his shortcomings, Srikanth said he will “focus on maintaining” his form and fitness heading into a hectic new year.
BWF Rankings: Kidambi Srikanth re-enters top 10 after two years following BWF World Championships silver
On his return to the country, Srikanth said, “Now my only focus is on maintaining this and to improve further. Because, All England and then Commonwealth Games, Asian Games are there next year. It’s a very big year.
“Next eight to 10 months are very important for me. So, I am looking at talking to Gopi anna (coach Pullela Gopichand). I will try and work on what went wrong in the last few months.
“Even though I played finals, there will definitely be some negatives, I have to work on to become a better player.”
All the hardwork seems to pay off! 🥈 Reaching the finals of the World Championship was massively fulfilling, and I am extremely grateful to each one of you for your constant love & support! 🇮🇳🙏 #BWFWorldChampionship2021 #Huelva2021 #Badminton pic.twitter.com/qss6vsS9hd
— Kidambi Srikanth (@srikidambi) December 20, 2021
Describing his historic run to the final, Srikanth said, “A very great feeling. A very special tournament for anyone. World Championship has it’s own special significance. To play final of such a major event, I am very happy.
“Next year is again a very important year I feel. There is no time to celebrate this win. Because, India Open is starting from January 10. In March, All England is there. Then Commonwealth Games. Then world championship, Asian Games. So many big events lined up.
BWF Rankings: Kidambi Srikanth re-enters top 10 after two years following BWF World Championships silver
“I am just happy that I could peak at the correct time. From September, when I started playing tournaments, I slowly started improving. Match by match, I could see the difference.”
Lakshya rises up the charts
20-year-old Lakshya Sen, who finished with bronze on his BWF World Championships debut, also jumped to a career-high 17th. 2019 World Championships bronze medalist B Sai Praneeth fell to 19th. HS Prannoy’s giant-killing run ensured a six rung rise to 26th.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned world champion Loh Kean Yew, who became the first Singaporean shuttler to win a world title, ascended to 15th after a jump of seven spots. The 24-year-old will be one of the star attractions at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2022, a BWF Super 500 tournament, scheduled to be held in New Delhi next month.
BWF Rankings: Kidambi Srikanth re-enters top 10 after two years following BWF World Championships silver
PV Sindhu, whose BWF World Championships title defense ended in the quarterfinals, remains static at seventh. 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal remained 25th.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty slipped a rung to 10th. The women’s doubles combination of Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy moved up by a solitary berth to 20th. Rankireddy and Ponnappa remain India’s highest-ranked pair at 25th in mixed doubles.
BWF Rankings: Kidambi Srikanth re-enters top 10 after two years following BWF World Championships silver
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