PTI
Rio de Janeiro, August 17: Badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand stated here Wednesday that PV Sindhu can do much better in terms of her defensive ability as she faces World No. 3 Nozomi Okuhara in the Olympic semifinals here Thursday. The Indian has a 1-3 win-loss record against the Japanese.
“It was good (the win against Wang Yihan) but in my view, she can raise the level of her game a notch higher. In fact, I am hoping that she will raise her game to another level when she faces her Japanese opponent,” stated Gopichand. “There are certain areas of her game which can still improve,” he added.
The one area that Gopichand is sure to talk about is consistency and at times giving away easy points. “She gave away quite a few points in the second game,” informed Gopichand. “She’s been inconsistent a few times and squandered leads but I think it’s part of her learning experience. She’s still young, and has age on her side. I think she’s a great fighter with great work ethic,” added the national coach.
Rating the win over Yihan Wang as one of the biggest of Sindhu’s career, Gopichand stated, “Don’t forget it is the Olympic quarterfinal. That indeed is a very big stage and that is why the victory is all the more special.”
