Herald: What is that special that
you currently do in your training that is the key to your success?
Anura Prabhu Desai: I regularly
do my training and fitness. I follow my coaches advice sincerely. I am also
more calm and patient while playing than I was before. I work for every point
and try to minimize the mistakes while playing and improve myself continuously.
Otherwise my training is like any other player.
H: When did you start playing
(age) and what made you prefer the badminton?
APD: I started at the age of six.
I used to go for training with my sister. My sister eventually went in to focus
for further studies. But my coach Govind Navelkar inspired me and told me that
I have the potential to do good in this sport.
I played my first nationals at the age of 8. I won my first medal in
national circuit in the same tournament. After this medal I was inspired to win
more medals for Goa. Now badminton has become my life.
H: How many hours do you devote
to practice?
APD: My morning session is from
5:30 to 7:15. Then next session starts at 9:45 and extends till 13:00. And the final session is from 16:00 to
17:30. So around 6.5 hours per day.
H: What would be your ultimate
achievement?
APD: My aim it to top Badminton
world rankings and represent India at Olympics.
H: How do you set your
goals?
APD: I set both micro goals and
major goals. I believe in achieving my micro goals one step at a time and in
turn automatically achieve my major goals.
H: What is your biggest
challenge, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
APD: My biggest challenge is
recovering from injuries. It is hardest time for a player as you cannot
practice during that period because you have to stay away from the game you
love. I had some injuries in the past. Also travelling alone for tournaments as
a girl is challenge. My parents are always worried if I am travelling alone.
Another challenge is staying away from my family for practice at Bangalore.
Staying away from my mother’s Goan food is a major challenge. I don’t like to
eat fish from outside Goa as it does not taste the same.
H: Do you select any special
tournament or do you take part in any tournament.
APD: I play almost all National
Ranking tournaments. Also I select International Ranking tournaments based on
my ease of travel, ranking points and travel & stay expenses.
H: Under whom did you horn your
skills. Do you have a coach?
APD: Currently I am coaching
under Vimal Kumar and Prakash Padukone (Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy,
Bangalore) but now a I am in Goa I train under Roy Athaide (Panjim) and Vinayak
Kamat (Margao). My fitness trainer is Krishnanath Naik and my Physio is Renu
Ramchandran. I started basics under Govind Navelkar.
H: Where do you draw your
inspiration from?
APD: My role models are Lin Dan,
Carolina Marin and Saina Nehwal. According to me they are the best and I get my
inspiration from them.
H: What do you study? Do you find
difficulty in devoting time for studies as well as badminton?
APD: I am currently in std XIIth
at National Institute of Open Schooling. Yes. Definitely devoting time for
studies along with full-time badminton is a challenge. But I manage to devote
atleast half an hour a day for my studies. Also if I have an off-day from
badminton I utilise that time to study. I devote more time for studies 15-20
days before the exam.
H: What was your greatest
achievement? Any special memorable tournament.
APD: My greatest achievement is
the first medal that I managed to secure for Goa after 47 years at Patna
Nationals in the year 2012. Also I managed to win medals in both singles and
doubles Under-15. Again at the just concluded Gujarat Nationals I secured Gold
in doubles which is 1st ever Gold for Goa, along with it I also won Bronze in
singles which is also a first for a player in Goa in seniors. I am happy that I
could bring Goa in spotlight at Nationals. There are many special achievements
and memorable tournaments. Above mentioned ones are just a few.
H: What are your future plans?
APD: I am planning to play many
more internationals in the 2017 and improve my senior international BWF singles
ranking from current 227. Next I will be playing Bareilly Nationals from 20th
to 25th March. Then I will be playing India Open International Super Series at
Delhi from 28th March to 2nd April. Also my XIIth exams are from 6th to 12th
April. So this month is hectic because I have to manage both my exams and
training. After my exams I can focus fully on my training at Bangalore.
H: Anything else you’d like to
share?
APD: I am 18 years old.
I am a contract player for
airport authority of India.
I am the brand ambassador for
Geno Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
