Nationals will help in preparation for All England: Praneeth

A crammed BWF calendar affecting his fitness last season, Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth says he will pick his tournaments carefully in the Olympic qualification year and is eyeing a national title to prepare for the All England Championship next month.

With defending champion HS Prannoy and finalist Kidambi Srikanth withdrawing due to fitness issues, former champion Praneeth will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy at the 83rd Senior Nationals, which got underway with the qualifiers here on Tuesday.

"Last season, I struggled with my fitness and confidence because there were too many tournaments. So I couldn't maintain fitness. From June to December, I played continuously, so it was all about fitness. I am fine now and fortunately no injuries," Praneeth told PTI.

"I am looking forward to All England next month and Nationals will be good match practice to prepare. It will help my confidence ahead of the international events. You have to beat all the top Indian players to win it and it is not easy because everyone is playing well," said Praneeth, who will also play the Swiss Open this year.

The Olympic qualification period will be between April 29, 2019 to April 26, 2020, and the BWF rankings published on April 30, 2020 will decide who makes the cut for the Tokyo Games.

Praneeth, who is currently ranked 26th, said he will need a bit of luck and series a consistent performances to earn him a ticket to the Olympics.

"It is an Olympic qualification year, so scheduling of the tournaments will be important. I can afford not to play a few events. We will need a bit of luck and good performance. I have to play quarters and semis consistently, but that won't be easy, so you also need a favourable draw sometimes.

"Indonesia I got Chen Long in first round, so when the seeds lose early, it opens up the draw."
"Even Mulyo (Handoyo) had mostly focused on fitness and it suited us, helped us to perform. Every foreign coach brings a different method, so lets see what they make us do. "
Asked if Mulyo's departure was one of the reasons behind Indians not winning a lot of titles, Praneeth said: "I know some people believe so, but he left at the right time and we would never know what would have been his contribution or our performance in his presence in such a hectic schedule."