CWG 2018: Need to be wary of lesser-known shuttlers, cautions Prannoy

The 25-year-old is ranked 12th in the world at the moment after reaching the quarter-finals of the All England Badminton Championships in mid-March. He is the third highest ranked in the men’s singles competition after compatriot and world No.2 Kidambi Srikanth and world No.7 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. Prannoy said that even though the level of competition at the CWG doesn’t match that of the top-tier BWF circuit meets or the Asian Games, he needs to be mentally ready in case a lesser-known player comes up with surprising performances. 

Prannoy will open his singles campaign against Mauritius’ Aatish Lubah in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. “There may be lesser number of strong players but lesser-known players from other countries who can come and trouble you on a particular day. The pressure is on you when you face lesser-known opponents. So you need to stay calm in the initial rounds and mentally ready to be up for a fight. But in the quarter-finals, there will be strong competitors,” said Prannoy.

Prannoy won the US Open last year as he moved into the top-10 in global singles rankings. He also revealed that in the next six months his target is to take his ranking inside top-eight in his bid to extend his rising status. 

“I am happy in maintaining my rankings around 10-15. Looking ahead, couple of good wins in the BWF circuit will help me go up the rankings. In the coming six to seven months, my aim is to reach top-eight as it will help in getting good draws in the bigger events. Top-eight rank will help me in not running into the big players in the initial rounds,” Prannoy said.