PV Sindhu pulls out of BWF World Tour Finals 2022, likely to return to action in January 2023
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu on Sunday informed the Badminton Association of India (BAI) about her inability to participate in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.
Sindhu, who picked up a stress fracture in the Commonwealth Games in August, is focused on giving herself extra time to recover completely from the injury ahead of a busy 2023 season.
The season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, which will see the top 8 shuttlers and pairs fighting for the top prizes, will be held in Guangzhou, China from December 14. Sindhu had qualified for the tournament, which is set to take place even as Covid-19 restrictions are in place.
PV Sindhu’s father PV Ramana explained the decision, saying the star shuttler had weighed the pros and cons before sending a letter to the BAI on Sunday.
Notably, Sindhu had also missed the BWF World Championships earlier this year.
“Her doctor has advised her to take some more time so that she recovers completely ahead of the new season. She has discussed the pros and cons but with so many restrictions in Guangzhou and also keeping new season in mind, she has taken this decision,” Sindhu’s father PV Ramana told news agency PTI.
“She has already started her training a couple of weeks back and by January she will be fully fit. So in view of all these reasons, she sent a mail to BAI informing about her decision.”
Ramana also said Sindhu is keen on doing well in 2023, which will mark the start of the qualification cycle for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Asian Games, which were postponed due to Covid-19, will also be held in 2023.
“She will need to be at her best for next year which will have Asian Games and also the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification, playing about 22 tournaments will be tough, so she is taking extra care,” he added.
Apart from Sindhu, only HS Prannoy is assured of a spot so far in the World Tour Finals. Kidambi Srikanth, who is currently ranked No. 10, will have to make the most of the upcoming tournaments.
Lakshya Sen, India’s highest-ranked men’s singles player, is also out of contention at the moment for the season-ending tournament.