Sindhu questions timing of BWF's new service rule change

Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu on Tuesday questioned the timing of the experimental service rule change in badminton which is set to be tried at the prestigious All England Championships, being held during March in London.

According to the new rule, the whole of the shuttle shall be less than 1.15 metres from the court surface at the instant of being hit by the server's racket.

"It could have come in a different tournament instead of All England which is a very prestigious tournament for everyone. So, may be, they should have started it from the start of the year itself," Sindhu told reporters on the eve of the Chennai Smashers' second Premier Badminton League (PBL) match against Mumbai Rockets, here.

"When it comes for the rule change, we need to learn it. There is no other way. It should not be much of a problem from my side.

"Some of them may have it, but we need to practise it out. Service is the most important thing before you start a rally," she added.

Asked about the cramped international calendar, which has been slammed by her compatriot Saina Nehwal and reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin, Sindhu said there was no point talking about it.

"The calendar has already come out so we can't say we won't play. Of course, it's a very tough schedule with World Championship, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. I am going to pick and choose tournaments and plan with the coach accordingly," the Hyderabadi said.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) had earlier received a lot of flak after it made it mandatory for top shuttlers to play at least 12 tournaments in a revamped schedule for 2018.

Sindhu, who once again failed to break the jinx of the final this season after having reached the summit clashes of World Championships and the Dubai Superseries Finals, is, however, content with her performance in 2017.

"It's been a good year for me so far. It went on really well if you take the Superseries, World Championships and recently the Dubai Superseries Finals. Though I lost in the finals, there were really good matches and it was anybody's game at the end of the day.

"It was really close in both the World Championships finals as well as in Dubai. But (despite the losses) there are a lot of positives which will help me come back much more stronger.

Commenting on her much-awaited clash with Saina in their PBL opener against the Awadhe Warriors, which could not take place due to the latter's injury, Sindhu said: "Even I was expecting that Saina would play but unfortunately she didn't."

"I put the trump from my side, though it was the last match I knew that she was not playing. So I was actually relaxed as I had enough time to get prepared against the other opponent.

"Our team lost the first match against Awadhe Warriors in Guwahati but overall it's a good team and we hope to bounce back," she added.

While Chennai lost their PBL opener against Awadhe, Mumbai, on the other hand won their opening match against the Delhi Dashers in Guwahati.

--IANS

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