PV Sindhu In 2022: What Awaits Indian Badminton Queen In Season Defining Months?

Despite her expressed desire to pick and choose events, 2022 has so far been a busy year for the 27-year-old from?Hyderabad. And challenges will only get tougher. The?next few months will not only define her season but also that of Indian badminton.

After winning her third title this season at?Singapore Open, a Super 500 event, Sindhu?has decided to skip Taipei Open?to prepare for the?bigger events. By the way, the win against Asian?champion Wang Zhi Yi of China in Singapore helped the Indian shuttler collect her first Super 500 title.

Chinese Taipei tourney is a Super 300 event (level five) in the BWF World Tour, in Grade 2. Grade 1 has Thomas & Uber Cup and World Championships. Then there are World Tour Finals, Super 1000 and Super 750 - in that order. And also the Olympics, and continental events.

With Commonwealth Games in Birmingham starting?July 28, entering a Super 300 event weeks before it?doesn't make sense for a title contender. Then there is World?Championship in Tokyo, starting August 22.

"When you see 2022, we have continuous?tournaments, and we have the Asian Games (now?rescheduled for 2023), Commonwealth Games, World?Championships and World Tour," Sindhu said last?December. "So definitely you will have to see what tournaments to play and what not to play to make sure that I'm 100% fit."

PV Sindhu's performance so far in 2022

1. India Open (500) in January - 3rd; 2. Syed Modi?International (300) in January - winner; 3. German?Open (300) in March - Round of 16; 4. All England?Open (1000) in March - Round of 16; 5. Swiss Open?(300) in March - winner; 6. Korea Open (500) in April - 3rd; 7. Asian Championship in April - 3rd; #?Uber Cup?in May - India finished 8th; 8. Thailand Open (500) in?May - 3rd; 9. Indonesia Masters (500) in June -?Quarters; 10. Indonesia Open (1000) in June - Round?of 32; 11. Malaysia Open (750) in July - Quarters; 12.?Malaysia Masters (500) in July - quarters; 13.?Singapore Open.

She won three titles in 13 tournaments.?Not bad, but not good enough for a two-time Olympic champion and former world champion. But beating the?reigning continental champion days ahead of the Commonwealth Games will sure boost her confidence.?Now, it's about keeping the momentum.?

Having said that, the Commonwealth Games outing?will be another massive test for the favourite from India. The competition is confined to the?Commonwealth, but England, Malaysia and Singapore?will field their strongest players. Also, Sindhu is yet to win a Commonwealth individual gold. There will be added pressure to end the drought.?

After the Commonwealth Games, Sindhu will head to Tokyo for the World Championships, where the best of the best will fight for possibly the most prestigious title in badminton. Tai Tzu-ying,?Akane Yamaguchi, Chen Yufei, An Se-young, Nozomi?Okuhara, Carolina Marin, Ratchanok Intanon, Wang?Zhiyi, etc. have all qualified.

PV Sindhu has always done well in the World?Championships, winning the title in 2019 and claiming?two silver (2017, 2018) and three bronze (2013, 2014, 2017). But in the last edition in Huelva (Spain), she?lost to Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei in the quarters, a malaise for Sindhu which seems to be running very?deep.

Then there small matter of her inferior head-to-head?records against the likes of An Se-young, Ratchanok?Intanon, Carolina Marin, etc. And the BWF 2022 season will continue, till the season finale (December) in Guangzhou, China.

The Indian badminton queen has some tough matches ahead. And she remains India's best hope.