Sindhu to train under 'mentor' Padukone in Bengaluru

Hyderabad: Eyeing a third Olympic medal, ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu will now move her base from Hyderabad to Bengaluru to train under the legendary Prakash Padukone in the build up to the Paris Games.

Sindhu had a week-long stint under Padukone in September and before the Asian Games, she had indicated that she would be training under him. The 28-year-old, who is nursing a niggle in her left knee, finally revealed the move in a social media post.

'For those wondering and constantly asking me, the cat is finally out of the bag!!,' she wrote on 'X', formerly twitter.

'Prakash sir is assuming the role of the mentor in my setup. I started training with him at the end of August, and it's been uphill ever since,' wrote the former world champion.

'He's more than a mentor; he's my guide, my guru, and, above all, a true friend. I wholeheartedly believe he possesses the magic to bring out the absolute best from my game.

'I am so grateful he reached out to me with one call when I was in Japan, and we've built on that connection exceptionally well. Dear sir, I AM PUMPED!! Looking forward to training with you! Let’s get to work,' wrote Sindhu, who had won a silver at the Rio Olympics under chief coach Pullela Gopichand.

In February, Sindhu had parted ways with Korean coach Park Tae-Sang, who was instrumental in her winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

The shuttler from Hyderabad worked with SAI coach Vidhi Chaudhary for sometime before roping in Malaysia's former All-England Commonwealth Games champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim as her travelling coach.

Recovering from a sore left knee, Sindhu has opted for a protected rank of No 10 which will be locked in BWF standings until she recovers.

She sustained the injury on her left knee and pulled out during her second-round women's singles match against Thailand's Supanida Katethong at the French Open on October 26.