In August last year, after falling one win short of a medal (again) at the World Championships, HS Prannoy was left feeling low. Is it written for him? Was it in his destiny? Mind you, it had been a good year already as he was back playing to a high level after a few seasons of trouble. The Thomas Cup triumph was historic, emphatic and one that he played a big role in. And yet, individual success (we’ll come to this word later) eluded him. He had won a bronze at the 2018 Asian Championships, another tough event to reach the podium at. But a title… that had last come in 2017 at the US Open, a Grand Prix Gold event as it was then.
One of the keys to Prannoy turning things around in the last couple of years has been the work he has done mentally. His game was always there. His body didn’t cooperate all the time, so he went about getting himself fit in any which way he could. But the real work, was mental.
On Sunday – 2,135 days later – Prannoy won a title again. He put his hands up as his crosscourt smash to Weng…
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