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Maintaining top-10 ranking will be a test
Parupalli Kashyap, the highest-ranked male shuttler in the country, takes each tournament as it comes. Recently having broken into the top 10, this 26-year-old is gearing up for the India Open Super Series from next week.
Parupalli Kashyap, the highest-ranked male shuttler in the country, takes each tournament as it comes. Recently having broken into the top 10, this 26-year-old is gearing up for the India Open Super Series from next week.
You have drawn Taufik Hidayat in the first round.
It's a very tough draw. I may be higher ranked but playing Taufik is very tough. We've played six times and I've lost them all. He doesn't want to lose to me. Whenever we've played, he's fought extremely hard. Taufik always controls the game well.
The last couple of years he hasn't been doing all that well and has become moody. It's probably his last time in India because he will retire soon. My concern right now is the first-round match.
I'm just going to go with the flow. It all depends on application during play. If I manage to win the first two rounds, I will run into top seed Lee Chong Wei. Let's see how it goes.
You're ranked No 7 in the world. How difficult will it be for you to maintain this top-10 position?
Oh, it will definitely be tough. A lot of points to defend… Sure, I've reached No 7 in the rankings but that actually does not matter. My aim is to win more tournaments because rankings will automatically come with it. I had an aim to make the top 10 which I've accomplished. For a shuttler to be able to maintain this for a year is considered good but for someone who manages to do it over a couple of years, he's considered a notch above. The first aim was to win a tournament which I managed last December with the Syed Modi International India GP. Now the aim is to win a Super Series.
Your plans for the year ahead.
At the start of the year I wanted to make the medal round of the All England. Unfortunately, I lost in the quarters.
Last week during the Asian Championships in Taipei, I wanted to win a medal but again, lost out early. So nothing really has gone according to plan this year!
Seems aiming at a particular tournament is not helping getting the results. (Laughs) I made the top 10 in the world without actually strategising so I intend to enjoy myself, take it easy and be spontaneous.
