Chirag's win has opened doors for other players, says his dad

An elated Chandrashekhar Shetty, father of badminton player Chirag Shetty, who created history on Sunday, said his son's feat has opened the doors for aspiring shuttlers.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Sunday became the first Indian pair to win a BWF Super 500 badminton tournament with a hard-fought win over Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the summit clash of Thailand Open in Bangkok.

"He (Chirag) has opened the doors for other badminton players, that they can also achieve (a similar feat) if they work hard and they (remain) focused," Chirag's father Chandrashekar told PTI over phone.

His father also termed the win as a spectacular.

"What I can say!...Spectacular win as no Indian has ever done (achieved the feat). It paves the way for younger players who are (playing) doubles, singles we have got lot of achievements. Other players will also think that on their day if Chirag and Satvik can do it,so why can't we. That is a big thing," he added.

Chirag's mentor Uday Pawar, who runs an academy at Goregoan Sports Club, also felt that now more players will be keen to play doubles.

"With this win, I think the attitude of not only BAI (Badminton Association of India) but all other players who are playing will change and improve for the better. There will be more people wanting to play doubles becuase (now) they will have Satvik and Chirag as their heroes, role models.

"It can be start of future where we have more people playing doubles and our perennial weakness has been doubles. In singles, we have produced a number of good top players, but doubles is always not been given the importance it deserves. Maybe, now it is given that importance, you will have more players coming up and it is good for the country," added Pawar.

When in the maximum city, Chirag trains at the Goregoan Sports Club in suburban Goregoan.

It is understood that Chirag would return to Mumbai by Thursday.