Ajay Jayaram eyes improvement in ranking

Having been first laid low by the knee ailment that forced him out of action for a substantial period, Ajay, after shaking that injury off, then had to deal with a twinge in his hamstring that was the cause of his two losses from as many matches in the ongoing season three of the Premier Badminton League. Finally, after a year-long unhappy courtship with injuries of various hues, the world number 38 gave himself something to cheer about on Friday after a straightforward win over Chong Wei Feng of Bengaluru Blasters. 

Coming back from a lengthy lay-off is never easy and Ajay gave a detailed account of how the time he spent away from the game gnawed away at his psyche. “2017 has been a rough year for me. Since April, I have been having issues with my knee first and once that was taken care of, the hamstring started acting up. That meant I had to skip a lot of major tournaments and missing the World Championship hurt me the most. My aim this year is to remain injury-free and improve my ranking,” said the 30-year-old, who had seen his ranking fall from 13 to 38.

The year that went by didn’t present Ajay with a chance to gloat over his on-court feats and that is enough incentive for him to begin his arduous journey up the rankings ladder as a new season beckons. “Post PBL, I’m planning to get some extensive training and sort out all my fitness issues. I’m glad that I was able to win and put an end to a string of losses. There were many takeaways from the match against Chong Wei. What pleased me the most was my quick reflexes near the net and my sense of anticipation was also spot-on,” added Ajay. 

The voices of disapproval over the cramped calendar have been growing shriller from all the seasoned pros, and Ajay, too, spoke the same language as his peers. “It is indeed a hectic itinerary and is definitely taking a toll on the players. My approach to this season would be a little different to the top ranked players mainly because of my inferior ranking. My chief focus will be on the Grand Prix tournaments and I will compete in them to boost my ranking points,” remarked Ajay.

For that to materialise, he will do well to keep a tight vigil to keep away the familiar intruder known to cause him bodily harm.