India's star shuttler PV Sindhu is back to her best as she clinched her maiden Japan Open title last week. The win in Tokyo made Sindhu the first Indian and, at 31, the oldest woman to clinch a BWF Super 750 title.
The Japan Open title was also Sindhu's first title in over two years and her first 'Major' title since winning the 2019 World Championship gold in Basel.
The two-time Olympic medalist had to withstand physical and emotional turmoil before rediscovering her former self and one person who played a key role in her tough time is Virat Kohli, according to a report.
As she struggled for form and confidence, Sindhu reached out to Kohli to understand how he had navigated the prolonged period when centuries had eluded him. Kohli's advice was simple yet powerful: rediscover the joy of scoring runs instead of chasing milestones.
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That message stayed with Sindhu and her husband, Venkata Datta Sai, especially after she suffered a snapped toe ligament that forced her to take a doctor-recommended three-month break. Seeking both physical recovery and mental rejuvenation, Datta took Sindhu to Atlanta, believing the time away from competition would help her reconnect with the sport.
"We had to rebuild her joy," Datta said in an interview to The Indian Express. "Virat's words kept ringing in my head. At Atlanta's Exos Sports Performance facility, she trained with three excellent trainers—Wayne, Tim and Rayan. My sister drove her to the facility every day for three weeks for rehab and strengthening. We rekindled her love for the game in a family environment where she wasn't a star, just a regular person."
Venkata further said that Sindhu's revival was the result of a collective effort, with her 13-member support team playing an integral role throughout the process. Datta revealed that the entire team was overwhelmed with emotion when she defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the final to secure the Japan Open crown.
Sports science also played a significant role in reshaping Sindhu's game. After the Paris Olympics, her team analysed performance data and identified two major concerns.
"Her attacking mindset had dipped, and she was needing a second, third or even fourth attack in a rally to finish points against top players, which increased the chances of making errors. We also noticed that while she earlier made only two line judgements per match, that number had gone up to six. She was hoping for easy points instead of creating them," he explained.
Her preparation also included changes to her fitness and nutrition. Following the advice of her coaching staff, Sindhu shed 3.5 kg before the Japan Open, with a protein-rich diet of chicken helping her get into peak condition. And once the title drought was over Sindhu rewarded herself with an ice-cream.
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