Each match at Rio was a challenge: Sindhu

Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu on Monday said every match at the recently-concluded Games was a challenge for her.

World No.10 Sindhu, who was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award -- the country's highest sporting honour -- by President Pranab Mukherjee at a special function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, defeated higher-ranked opponents in each round to set up the summit clash against World No.1 Carolina Marin of Spain.

"Each match at Rio Olympics was a challenge for me. Always discussed strategies before matches with my coach (Pullela Gopichand)," Sindhu was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Sindhu, at 5 feet 10 and half inch, is comparatively taller than most of her contemporaries but the Hyderabadi reckoned that height is never a factor for shuttlers.

"Height is not a very important aspect for a badminton player," she said.

Sindhu's coach Gopichand, who has produced champions like London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and China Open Superseries winner Kidambi Srikanth, spoke highly of the 21-year-old's on-court attitude.

"Sometimes she used to get emotional, but her attitude in training and on court has been great," Gopichand said.

"As a coach, I have nothing to complain about Sindhu," he added.

--IANS

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