Coach Irwansyah: ‘Want PV Sindhu to play with much more speed and power, believe she can improve though she’s 29’

“My goal when I came to India was of course to get Sindhu and the others I work with to achieve a very high level,” Irwansyah said in Delhi.” I do believe, and Sindhu also, does that she can do it. Of course, we have only been together for less than one week. But I want to change her game, she already can do it. Of course, it will take time. Give us some time. In this match also she can play the way I want her to.”

Sindhu said before the tournament that the fire was still burning bright for her as she targets major tour events like All England and Worlds. And Irwansyah’s focus would be to get Sindhu to play her signature attacking game. “I don’t want to slow down her play. I want her to play with much more speed and power. She is an attacking player. She needs to be more powerful and aggressive,”

Having worked in the men’s singles discipline, Irwansyah is hoping to bring some of those elements into his coaching. “It won’t be easy trying to mould her into playing like a men’s singles player, but that is the direction I want to work towards. Sindhu can achieve it because she is extremely disciplined and a very hard-working player. I hope our plans start to come together for the All England and other major competitions. It is my belief that every player needs to have speed and power. I think this is true even in women’s singles. That is what I want to do, changing the gameplay to faster and more attacking with the Indian players I work with.”

Sindhu was asked if it is hard to keep adapting to different training methodologies. “I won’t say difficult, the right word would be different,” she said. “I’ve gained something or the other from each one. With Irwansyah, we’re focusing more on speed and movement. It’s important to be smart and injury-free. The coach’s role is crucial in understanding the right amount of load to be given and what needs to be done with an athlete.”

Christie, who rose to world No 2 under his guidance, said Irwansyah’s understanding of his players is what made him special. “He’s a good coach, both on and off the court,” Christie said. “He really loves the players he coaches. And it is good for Indian badminton that he is here. Personally, he helped me a lot outside the court. He is very good at explaining how to deal with defeats… he taught me how to never give up, and get back up again when you are down.”

Even though Sindhu has seen a fair churn in her team over the years, one thing that hasn’t changed is her work ethic. “She was training even at the end of last year prior to her wedding. I know for a fact that she was serious about returning to the tour as quickly as possible, that is the level of focus she has. Even when I was telling her, ‘It’s your wedding time, enjoy’ she said ‘I have a tournament coming up soon!’ That says it all about her,” former India player Trupti Murgunde told The Indian Express. “She has always been extremely hard-working, and obedient, which makes her an easy player to coach.”

Murgunde said it was a fairly positive start to the year for Sindhu, and it is important to be patient as she makes a new beginning. “In the second round match, more than the win, I loved the way how she moved on the court, her gameplay, and even just her presence on the court, looked good. It felt like a fresh start,” Murgunde said. “If she could have done that from the start against Tunjung, I felt she could have won that match.”

Sindhu is now 29 as she looks to find a late push in her career and badminton can be unkind to older, weary bodies. But Irwansyah is not worried. “Even though she is 29, I do believe she can improve. We have a good team. Good nutrition, monitoring how much she eats, and managing her sleep. We are tracking all the time. Younger players also, if they don’t have discipline and don’t have a good team, I don’t think it matters. What’s most important is discipline and a good team — and Sindhu has both.”