Sindhu rubbishes report of rift with coach Gopichand

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has rubbished the report of separating ways with her coach Pullela Gopichand.

Sindhu was quoted as saying in an interview in a Malayalam newspaper that the relationship between her and coach Gopichand has deteriorated of late and she might not be able to continue training under him. She was in Kochi for a promotional event.

The 2016 Rio Olympics singles silver medallist was also quoted to have said that Gopichand’s focus has now shifted more towards the business side of his academy and she is currently under the guidance of two Korean coaches. In the article, she stated that earlier, Gopichand would spot small mistakes in her game and correct them immediately.

Sindhu, however, told DH she never made such remarks. “I never said that. I am surprised where this is coming from. Everyone is calling me. In the interview, I was asked why Gopi sir doesn’t travel with me so much and I said sometimes he can be busy, but then there are always two Korean coaches to help us around. It doesn’t mean that he is not around or not giving me attention. He is quite involved in my training. And I am very much training in his academy,” she said.

The 23-year-old also took to Twitter to dismiss the claims. “Just to clarify about this news. I will be training under Gopi sir as he’s my coach since my childhood.”

The report also wrote about her relationship with fellow shuttler Saina Nehwal, with whom Sindhu enjoys a healthy rivalry. The report quoted her saying they were never great friends off the court. “What I meant was that we hardly get to see each other. We train in the same academy, and when we see each other we greet one another. But that was always the case,” she said.