The past few months have been difficult for HS Prannoy’s life and career, but this setback has strengthened his resolve to keep working hard, which is, in his opinion, the essential component of remaining at the top levels of the international badminton rankings. He had to withdraw from the Paris Olympics before the quarterfinals due to injuries and health problems, including a chikungunya illness.
But a second-round participation in the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this month gave him some hope. However, things fell apart when he lost to Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang in the India Open Super 750 here on Wednesday, 21-16, 18-21, 12-21. Prannoy acknowledged that it has been challenging to return to full condition after recovering from chikungunya. The 32-year-old is now aware of maintaining a spot in the top 30.
It will take a tremendous amount of mental and physical work, given the sharp decline in the average age of elite players. Prannoy fought COVID-19 in 2020 after receiving a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease in 2018. Despite these disappointments, he had a remarkable comeback in 2022 and 2023, helping India win the Thomas Cup for the first time and winning individual bronze at the Asian Games and World Championships.
HS Prannoy Life From Glory to Struggle
However, a gastrointestinal ailment early last year and chikungunya a few weeks before the Olympics caused his world to fall apart once more. HS Prannoy said, “Post-Chikungunya, it was tough to get back to normal. Being on the court probably shows how bad the aftereffects were. I’m around 60-70% in terms of fitness. It was important for me to keep playing in the circuit and stay involved.”
He further added, “Malaysia was a decent outing, but I had a few niggles after that, which made today tough. But I’m happy to be back on the circuit. Today I was sluggish, but overall, I’m happy with the way I played. We’re just getting started and focusing on playing well in the circuit. I do love playing in tournaments. I know being in the top 30 in the world is not going to be easy, especially in men’s singles.”
