Kidambi Srikanth first came to the limelight in 2014 when he won the China Open Super Series tournament against former World No.1 and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan (21-19, 21-17) in a historic upset. Srikanth also went on to win the India Open in 2015.
An Arjuna Awardee and ranked as high as World No. 3, Kidambi Srikanth is the first Indian to have won a Super Series Premier Men’s title. He recently made it to quarterfinals of the Rio Olympics 2016, which almost saw him toppling the all time great ‘Super Dan’ once again.
Even though he eventually lost (a closely contested 6-21, 21-11, 18-21), Srikanth marks this match as one of the pivotal points in his career.
And he was dead right as the tide would soon turn in his favour!
After Srikanth injured his right ankle in the subsequent Japan Open, it demanded that he stay away from the game for a while. This was his longest time-out since he started playing professionally. But the forced break coupled with the training sessions in between seemed to have paid off as Srikanth made a resounding comeback in 2017.
He first made it to the final of the Singapore Open – where he eventually lost to fellow Indian B.Sai Praneeth. However, he appended his presence in the next tournament by beating World No.1 Son Wan Ho in a scintillating semi-final 21-15, 14-21, 24-22 at the Indonesia Open. And then overhauled Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai in straight sets 21-11, 21-19 to become the first Indian male shuttler to win the Indonesia Open.
Srikanth continued his sublime streak to clinch the very next Australia Open Super Series title by defeating reigning Olympic champion Chen Long 22-20, 21-16, earning his second title in two weeks. A double whammy indeed!
Coming from an agricultural background in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, it was Srikanth’s parents who leased their land to enable him as a sportsperson. And unwittingly, they sowed the seeds of success for Indian badminton.
Srikanth also credits coach Pullela Gopichand for pulling him out of playing doubles at the right time and getting him to laser-focus on singles.
Kidambi Srikanth is now India’s most successful male shuttler with four Super Series titles up his sleeve. He is also the first Indian to win the golden trio of Grand Prix Gold, Super Series and Super Series Premier titles.
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
