Badminton
Susan Ninan 8y

Jwala Gutta: There's a perception that I lack focus

With a little more than a month to go for the Rio Games, India's top badminton duo Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa are leaving little to chance. Though their recent performances haven't been particularly encouraging, there's no sense of despair or foreboding. "In the Olympic qualifying period, we didn't get much time to train but we aren't too bothered by the results," Ashwini reasoned.

At the Uber Cup in May, they finished with a bronze while a second-round exit at the Indonesia Open earlier this month and a quarterfinal loss at the New Zealand Open in March, haven't exactly been the results they were hoping for in the run-up to the Olympics.

Apart from Jwala and Ashwini, five more players - Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy- have qualified for the Olympics this year, making it India's biggest-ever badminton contingent at the Games.

"We have performed well in the big tournaments and we stand a good chance of winning a medal at the Olympics this time," said Jwala.

The last international title the duo won together was the Canada Open in July last year, upstaging Dutch top seeds Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek. They will be eyeing an encore at the June 28-July 3 event this year ahead of the US Open (5-10 July).

"We have been slightly inconsistent over the past year but now that we have qualified for the Olympics we're looking to put all of that behind" says Jwala.

London Olympics was a largely forgettable experience for No 16 ranked Jwala and Ashwini. They beat Singapore in their Group B first-round match, but were knocked out of the competition after finishing third in the group behind Japan and Chinese Taipei. They were eliminated on the difference between points won and lost in all matches, though they tied with both teams on the number of matches won.

"We were really unlucky," says Jwala, "There was a lot of wrongdoing in women's doubles. The whole women's draw and competition went haywire."

Eight players were disqualified from the women's doubles competition for 'deliberately underperforming' in an attempt to manipulate the draw for the knockout stage at the 2012 Games. The Badminton World Federation (BWF), however, rejected Jwala and Ashwini's appeal of a Japan-Chinese Taipei match in their group being fixed. "We played fairly well but the way things turned out, it wasn't really in our control. There was no way we could have planned for it. We could have made the quarterfinals at least had it not been for the unforeseen events," added Ashwini.

Former pro Aparna Popat feels they have an "outside chance" of a medal at this year's Games. "Jwala and Ashwini may not have had Super Series wins, but they have played a stellar role for India at the big tournaments over the years, the World Championships or the Uber Cup for instance. Now that they have qualified for the Olympics and the way the format works, you never know. It could be touch and go and if they get their act together, given their experience, they could do really well" she says.

Perceptions, Jwala says, often go against her. "People tend to think I lack focus. This is probably something they conclude from my trendy dressing style or my hair colour. They forget my wins. I guess it's easy to forget."

Unlike doubles in tennis, the skill set and technique required in badminton doubles is quite different from its singles. In badminton, singles players don't usually compete in the doubles and vice versa. Net kills and smashes, which define attacking play, necessitate great fitness levels for good court coverage and quick, explosive moves. Jwala, who has lost around 13 kgs over the past few months, says she feels lighter, quicker and fitter now.

"I started focusing on my fitness six months ago this time. Last Olympics, I began working on it only after qualifying. I can feel a lot more maturity in my game and I read the game better now" Jwala says.

Working under Malaysian Tan Kim Her, who was appointed the Indian doubles coach in September last year, has turned things around for good, says Ashwini. Jwala, who has been vocal about the need for a doubles specialist coach, couldn't agree more. Indonesian Edwin Iriawan was the last doubles coach for the national team till 2013. It was under Iriawan and his predecessor Atik Jauhari that they won the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold and World Championship bronze in 2011.

"My only grouse has been that doubles has not being looked after. Things are better now when it comes to training. Though it's our second Olympic appearance, we have no corporate sponsors, unlike the top-15 singles players. The differential treatment must end."

At 32, Jwala acknowledges that this could effectively be her final Olympic appearance. Her younger partner Ashwini at 26, though, could possibly weather it to another edition of the Games. On a realistic count, a medal finish could be a tall order for Jwala and Ashwini given the formidable contest that the Chinese, Japanese and Korean players pose. In all, 16 pairs will compete in women's doubles at the Rio Games.

"All the other 15 pairs are really good. It's not going to be easy for us. I don't think we can even compare ourselves to the Japanese or the Chinese players in any way, given their richly-funded programs and their methodical approach to sport. For Indian players, qualifying for the Olympics is a feat in itself," says Jwala.

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