HYDERABAD: From the very first time he clasped the badminton racquet, he knew he was going to have the time of his life. However, badminton was never the ‘career plan’ — but a slew of wins, World Number 1, and the Arjuna and Padma Shri awards…they were life’s plans for Srikanth Kidambi. Now, the 31-year-old badminton champion — an exemplar of hard work, persistence, and immense passion — is striving to help budding players through his special partnership with Hundred Sports, announced at Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills. After patiently posing with eager fans for pictures, he gives us a window into his world.
Excerpts
How do you feel about your partnership with Hundred Sports?
I am grateful for the opportunity! I get to choose and design the equipment that suits me. As a player, I understand what players really like. Even if I can help 10 players do better with the right equipment, that is a win for me.
How did your love for badminton start?
When I was little, my brother, dad and I would go to a stadium which was five minutes away from home. My brother started playing badminton first, while I would just run around, play, and have fun. But slowly, I started to play with him on my own; if someone had come to me at that point and said, ‘Okay, now run around the field for an hour, do this, do that…’ I would probably have not continued playing the sport. So, growing up, I never saw badminton as a ‘career’ — it was a way to enjoy myself!
What are the notable moments in your career?
Well, wins are certainly notable moments for me! (laughs) Receiving the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri was wonderful too; the feeling of getting an award from the president in the presence of the prime minister, other awardees, and your loved ones is a great feeling.
But there were some hard losses too — I lost in the Singapore Open final in 2017, and that stayed with me for a very long time. I kept thinking, ‘I could have won but I didn’t. Maybe if I did a few things differently, the outcome would have been different.’ But what this did was make me strive to improve my game. Every loss is a lesson.
