Sawt Falasteen - India's Sindhu targets medal at home world championships

Sindhu won the world title in 2019 and also captured Olympic silver in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo five years later.

The 31-year-old is a massive star in her home country and will be the focus of attention at the world championships from August 17 to 23.

She told AFP in Tokyo, where she is playing at the Japan Open, that she expects to be in the mix for a medal.

"Right now, with the game I'm playing, I think I just need to do a little bit of small tweaks and stick to my game plan, irrespective of who the other player is," said the world number 10.

"Just keep fighting for every point. I feel that everybody is beatable."

Sindhu arrives in Tokyo after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month.

Her last title came in December 2024 at the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow.

She believes playing at home will help her again at the world championships.

"There will be pressure, I will not deny that, but at the same time it's a kind of confidence when you play in your home court," she said.

"I think it's really good and I feel confident having it in our country."

Sindhu is not the only Indian player in contention for a medal next month.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are number four in the men's doubles world rankings, while Lakshya Sen is number 14 in men's singles.

"In India, I think after cricket, badminton is the next big sport," said Sindhu.

"In the last few years it's become a lot more, and we have a lot of athletes who are doing really well.

"It is quite popular and I feel that there will be a lot of crowds supporting India this time."

The last time the world championships were held in India was in 2009 in Hyderabad, Sindhu's home city.

She is hoping her country makes the most of the opportunity.

"For the youngsters, it will be a good thing to see top athletes who are coming to Delhi and playing at the top level," she said.

"It's a very good experience for the youngsters to see and learn a lot more."

B.Khalifa--SF-PST