PV Sindhu’s Asian Games campaign ended in disappointment in Nagoya, but the Indian badminton star’s quarter-final defeat to Chen Yufei was followed by a wider discussion about the demands being placed on players.
The former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist suffered a 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 loss to China’s Chen in a closely contested match. Sindhu won the opening game and was within three points of closing out the contest before Chen fought back to take control in the deciding game.
After the defeat, however, Sindhu’s attention turned to the scheduling of the competition.
The Indian star revealed that she had been required to play three matches within an 18-hour period, leaving little time for rest and recovery between them.
Sindhu explained that she finished her matches late on Saturday before having to return to the court early the following morning. She described the turnaround as an extremely difficult challenge, highlighting the limited time available to recover between matches.
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The demanding schedule became a major talking point, particularly because Sindhu had already played twice on Saturday before facing Chen in the quarter-finals.
Her concerns were echoed by fellow Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy, who also criticised the scheduling.
Prannoy described the situation as “cruel” and questioned the decision to require players to compete in two singles matches in a single day, something he said he had not experienced for a long time.
The issue has renewed attention on player welfare at major multi-sport events, where tight schedules can leave athletes with limited recovery time between matches.
For Sindhu, the frustration came after a match in which she had appeared capable of reaching the semi-finals. She took the first game against Chen before the Chinese player levelled the contest and eventually pulled away in the decider.
Rather than simply being remembered for her quarter-final exit, Sindhu’s campaign has now also placed the tournament schedule under scrutiny.
With elite badminton demanding significant physical and mental recovery between matches, the concerns raised by Sindhu and Prannoy are likely to add to the ongoing discussion about how major tournaments can balance packed schedules with the welfare of the athletes competing in them.
