Hyderabad, Aug 25: Basking in Olympic glory, star shuttler PV Sindhu has now set her eyes on the World Superseries, the only trophy missing from her cabinet, while becoming the World No. 1 remains her ultimate goal.
The tall 5' 11" silver medallist in women's singles badminton at Rio Olympics is conscious of the fact that she will be the most marked player by her opponents in the upcoming tournaments. (In pictures: Sindhu celebrates silver feat)" title="Who is Sindhu?; Grand welcome for Sindhu
The tall 5' 11" silver medallist in women's singles badminton at Rio Olympics is conscious of the fact that she will be the most marked player by her opponents in the upcoming tournaments. (In pictures: Sindhu celebrates silver feat)" />Who is Sindhu?; Grand welcome for Sindhu
The tall 5' 11" silver medallist in women's singles badminton at Rio Olympics is conscious of the fact that she will be the most marked player by her opponents in the upcoming tournaments. (In pictures: Sindhu celebrates silver feat)
For the World No.10, reaching the top rank remained her ultimate goal, which she had set for herself in 2012 after breaking into the top 25.
"If you keep winning tournaments, you automatically become number one. I will have to definitely work hard and give my best," said Sindhu, the only double bronze medallist from India at the World Championships.
For Sindhu, whose parents are volleyball players, badminton was a passion when she held the racquet at the age of eight.
"It was a step-by-step journey. First the national circuit, then the international circuit. I was the first (Indian girl) to win a bronze at the World Championships. Slowly I got confidence in myself. I was down with injuries, ups and downs but then finally I made it."
Her coach Pullela Gopichand believes that she is still far from a complete transformation. Which are the areas she thinks she needs to work on?
"No particular one thing. I had been playing all the strokes and it is very important that you learn and you keep on learning."
Does winning an Olympics silver increase the pressure to perform well every time she goes on court?
"Nothing like pressure but it will depend on how I prepare. It will also depend on the strategy I have to make keeping in view what happens in a particular match."
Sindhu also felt that the Chinese are not unbeatable as players from others countries too were playing well and coming up.
"This time I think there were no Chinese in the women's singles. They played well. (Defending champion) Li Xuerui was injured but ups and downs are always there in life. For me particularly, the match with Wang Yihan was good. She did not leave (any chances). She is a very experienced player."
Things have changed a lot for Sindhu with the silver medal - and it's not just the cash rewards of Rs 13.5 crore and countless other gifts one is talking about.
"It's truly different feeling. I feel my life has changed. I never thought I will get the medal at Olympics. It was my first Olympics. I am really happy. It's a dream come true."
She is also elated over the fact that from the country's top leaders to celebrities, everybody rooted for her. Amitabh Bachan tweeted that he wants to take a selfie with her while Rajnikanth said he had become her fan.
"It's is a great thing. It made my day. Today I was retweeting to them to thank them. Millions of people supported me. I think their support, blessings and prayers helped me," Sindhu concluded.
IANS