Ashwini Ponnappa giggles, full with the beginnings of a plan. She is looking for a new adventure and entering a “very hungry” period of her career. Currently on a brief sabbatical, Ashwini has made the decision to take a break from women’s doubles and will not continue her partnership with N. Reddy Sikki. In mixed doubles, where she hopes to make a fresh start, she will now team up with the towering 22-year-old Sai Pratheek Krishnaprasad.
Ashwini Ponnappa excited for badminton mixed doubles
Ashwini, who previously played mixed with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, wants to give the new combination a fair go without any pressure. Pratheek has been playing doubles with Ishan Bhatnagar.
We mostly want to see how things develop over the following two to three months. The numerous medal-winning doubles shuttler from India adds, “I adore mixed doubles, and I’m eager to start off and work on our combination but not be too concerned about a xyz ranking or xyz competition. It will be more important to find the correct understanding and sync than to focus on certain competitions. Naturally, I’d want to earn a spot in the Paris Olympics with a strong position, but there is still a very long way to go,” she remarked.
Pratheek is a promising player with excellent rear-court abilities and solid defensive ability from his time playing men’s doubles.
“Let’s see how it develops. I won’t force you to play with me if you’re a younger player. She says, “I’m optimistic that this will work, but if it doesn’t, there won’t be any bitter feelings. Pratheek will have the opportunity to swiftly pick up knowledge from an experienced partner on the circuit.
She feels that Ashwini and Sikki’s collaboration has come to an end because they have achieved everything they might have. Of course, we can’t be compared to the relationship between Jwala and I. Not as many results are available. But we both put in a lot of effort and did our best. Sikki is a go-getter who works really hard. With her subsequent companion, she’ll succeed, she assures.
Together with Satwik, Ashwini advanced to the mixed semifinals of a Super 1000 tournament, came very near in some top pairs, made the All England quarterfinals, and earned a spot in the World Tour Finals. But the team’s problems in the endgame and injuries discouraged them. While she is open to returning to women’s doubles, she is eager to give mixed a strong push.
However, restoring happiness in her game is her first priority. She was depressed since she had suffered several losses recently. “To be honest, I didn’t have any physical problems while playing. It was more the unanticipated mental shifts that were taxing. You prepare for training in a specific manner, but when unanticipated events occur, your emotional state suffers, she explained without going into further detail. But the desire still exists. My favourite sport is badminton. To play well, I need to have fun. This is where the frenetic intensity of mixed doubles can zing up her motivation. When that’s inhibited, there’s no purpose.
