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PV Sindhu gets the monkey off her back with Japan Open title, calls it ‘relief’ after two tough years
PV Sindhu won the Japan Open on Sunday, becoming the first Indian to do so.
In the last two years, PV Sindhu was written off, with few giving her much chance of returning to winning ways. But true champions often prove their critics wrong, and the 31-year-old did exactly that on Sunday by winning the Japan Open. Sindhu became the first Indian to lift the title after defeating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17. For the first time in a long while, the conversation around her is centred on badminton rather than rehabilitation.
During those two years, Sindhu battled multiple injuries while enduring constant scrutiny. Every time the ace shuttler failed to win a BWF title, critics were quick to question her and dissect every move she made.
The Japan Open triumph is Sindhu's first title since the Syed Modi International, a Super 300 event, in 2024, and her biggest BWF title since winning the World Championships gold in 2019. It is little surprise, then, that even Sindhu admitted the monkey was finally off her back.
“I mean, I think, firstly, I'm happy (laughs), but at the same time, there are many more tournaments and, of course, yes, it's a relief that, you know, I could get a win after so many months, almost after two years and definitely that's a relief," said Sindhu while replying to a Hindustan Times Digital query during an interaction organised by the Badminton Association of India.
“But I think this will definitely give me a lot of confidence, you know, for the upcoming matches and tournaments to maintain the same level of play and stay consistent. So, this will definitely be a boost,” she added.
The year 2026 has seen Sindhu steadily return to her best after a couple of injury-hit seasons. She has rarely put a foot wrong this year, with most of her defeats coming against the world's very best – World No. 1 An Se Young (twice), World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi, World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (twice) and World No. 4 Chen Yu Fei.
However, it would be naive to assume the outside noise did not affect Sindhu. Speaking after her triumph, she admitted she had heard everything being said but chose not to respond, trusting her ability to silence the critics through her performances.
"You hear a lot of things happening, but I think more than giving a reply, I would just want to say that I believe in myself. Yes, it has been a long time, and for me, yes, this title was very, very important," Sindhu said.
"It was quite a tough journey because I had some niggles and injuries. As an athlete, injuries do happen. It's part and parcel of life, so it is very important to come back stronger, and it definitely took me some time. I had some niggles, then I came back again, I was injured again and then coming back to the rhythm, it wasn't easy. The support staff, my coach, and I worked really hard to come to this stage, and I'm very happy that I could do this and win and give them this victory," she added as she spoke about battling recent injuries and niggles.
‘Work on speed’
Sindhu revealed that she has spent the past few months working on her speed and agility with her coaches, and the results are finally paying off. Her resurgence in 2026 has also seen her climb back into the world's top 10, rising from No. 18 to No. 9.
“They have really helped me in terms of strength, physical fitness, speed, and agility. They touched up on that. It was very important because sometimes you might do everything, but the smallest might be remaining,” said Sindhu.
“To see where I am lacking and to make sure every data is on point and what needs to be done, let's say, in terms of recovery, what recovery are we doing, is it working out or not?”
Sindhu also weighed in on the newly introduced 15-point scoring system, saying it would make matches more intense when it comes into effect in January 2027.
“It's going to be very intense is what I feel. The matches might be a little lower, but the intensity will definitely be higher. In 21 (points system), you actually have time. Even though you are 5-6 points down, you still have time to cover it, whereas in a 15-point system, you don't have that time. From point number one, you need to be alert,” she mentioned.
