Indonesia Open champs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty confident of becoming world’s best; grateful to coach Mathias Boe for improved defence
Chirag Shetty (left) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy during their men’s doubles final at Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday. Pic/Getty Images
India's men’s doubles shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are now aiming higher, after becoming the country’s first pair to win a Super 1000 event, the Indonesia Open.
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On Sunday, they defeated world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia 21-17, 21-18 to clinch the title in Jakarta. The victory saw them reach their career-best ranking of World No. 3. But Rankireddy wants more. “We never cared about rankings, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t feel good to be No. 3. Our target is to be the best in the world [World No. 1]. We don’t want to be India’s first men’s pair to achieve something. We want to be the world’s best. We are hungry for more. This is just the start,” Rankireddy, 22, told mid-day on Wednesday.
Also Read: BWF Rankings: Satwiksairaj-Chirag rise to career-best World No. 3 spot
Target achieved
Shetty added that No. 3 was target this year. “Feeling of being No. 3 is something great. It was one of our targets for the year. Having achieved that, now we want to soar higher. We have it in us to be No. 1 and are very keen to achieve that,” said the Mumbai resident.
The duo credited doubles coach Mathias Boe for their consistency. The Danish legend, an Olympic and World Championships medallist, worked on the Indian pair’s defence frailties.
‘Credit to chief coach Gopi’
“A lot of the credit goes to Mathias and [Pullela] Gopichand sir [chief national coach]. I feel we were able to pull off these wins against the best players as we were two bodies, three souls [coach Boe is omnipresent]. Thanks to Boe, we have been focusing a lot on our defensive style of play. We are predominantly an aggressive pair, but now we have become more confident in defence too. Earlier, our mindset was to aim for that perfect shot. But Boe has helped us prepare for longer rallies which gives us time to defend well,” said Rankireddy.
With a jam-packed schedule and some important tournaments ahead—World Championships (August 21 to 27 in Denmark), Hangzhou Asian Games (September 23 to October 8) and next year’s Paris Olympics (July 26 to August 11)—Rankireddy wants the pair to make smart choices. “I’m always the one who ends up with a niggle or two as I’m injury-prone. With back-to-back tournaments, I need to figure out how to stay in shape. We must choose tournaments wisely if we want to be consistent in the long run. We realise now that Sat-Chi are expected to win every tournament and we love this pressure,” concluded Rankireddy.
Also Read: A sneak peek into Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty’s career in numbers
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