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Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

Indian Badminton players even after dominating in the Asian countries fail repeatedly in countries like Europe and Olympic stages. What can be the underlying problem?

Sep 25, 2024, 2:36 PM6 min read

Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

The contemporary Indian Badminton has so far gained the popularity in its country. However, certain issues need to be resolved. The biggest concern lies in the shuttlers facing a different environment in the non-Asian Countries. The major problem they face is the thick and slower court. 

This issue had made India short of many assured medals by whiskers. Be it peak Kidambi Srikanth missing his World Title in 2017 to Reddy-Shetty failing in big tournaments.

Kidambi Srikanth- sportzpoint.com

How do Indian and Asian Courts differ from European Courts?

The Asian Summers

Speaking about the weather in the Asian summers, it is humid. The Asian stadia provide full on air-conditioned courts for athletes. 

Air-conditioned rooms are marked favorable for shuttles, as the shuttles fly faster here. Here are the reasons:

  • Lower air density: Air conditioning reduces temperature and humidity, resulting in denser air with fewer air molecules. This decrease in air resistance allows shuttlecocks to travel faster.
  • Reduced air turbulence: Air conditioning systems circulate and filter the air, minimizing turbulence and air pockets that can slow down the shuttlecock.
  • Consistent airflow: Air conditioning maintains a consistent airflow, reducing unpredictable air currents that can affect shuttlecock trajectory.
  • Lower humidity: Dry air reduces the shuttlecock's drag coefficient, enabling it to fly faster.

This helps the athletes to maintain faster rallies and increased smashes with an attacking play. The also helps them to read the speed and work on their reaction time'

Added to this, the enhthralling supporters add more fuel to the pagddlers when tired.

European winters

European winters contradics the humid weather. Unlike the windy weather here, the air feels cal, slow and still. 

Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, technique, and strategy. it included different physical challenges along with rectified techniques and strategies.

The challanges a shuttler faces due to these conditions are as follows:

  • Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
  • Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
  • Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
  • Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.

However, these are the "negetives" bigger stages like Olympics, offer.

Slow court, A Bane to the Shuttlers

Here are some instances when paddles were denied their crown due to the courts' behaviour.

  • 2017 Kidambi Srikanth, a fast court specialist in India missed his Worlds Title in the slow Glaswegian conditions. The slow pitch defied from the title as the Korean Son Wan-ho defeated him in the quarterfinal.
  • Tanvi Patri, a 13 year old rookie got defeated in Thailand's sluggish pitch last December. The thick air denied her speed, showing a red alert that she needs to gain some strength.
  • And the most discussed duo- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Right now, Reddy-Shetty is the finest doubles player in Indian Badminton periphery. Reddy still has his world fastest smash of 493km/hr. Even then, this duo cannot assert full power in slow court. And thus, they lost a few of the most serious and well-deserved titles.

Demands of Sluggish Pitches

Slow and still air significantly impacts shuttlers' performance, techniques, and strategies. Someone who was been trained on faster courts will find it difficult to adapt to the conditions if exposed.

The shuttles face certain physical changes that are listed below:

  • Reduced shuttlecock speed: Slower reactions, less power.
  • Increased drag: Shuttles dip and drop unexpectedly.
  • Unpredictable trajectory: Difficulty judging distance and direction.
  • Fatigue: Players expend more energy to generate power.

An athlete thus needs to make a few technical adjustments to combat the challenges.

  • Slower stroke speed: Compensate for reduced shuttlecock speed.
  • Increased wristwork: Generate power and control.
  • Softer touches: Reduce shuttlecock's descent.
  • More spin: Control shuttlecock trajectory.

The strategic changes include:

  • Patient play: Waiting for opportunities to attack.
  • Defensive focus: Exploiting opponents' struggles.
  • Net play: Using precise, soft shots.
  • Angle play: Creating sharp angles to disrupt opponents.

Effects on a few notable Shots:

  1. Smashes: Less effective due to reduced power.
  2. Clear shots: More difficult to execute.
  3. Drops: Harder to control.

Slow Court? Not an Issue!

Not an old story when Lakshya Sen lost to Victor Axelsen in the Olympics semi-final. Slower Courts like that in Europe, especially in stages like Olympics demand patience and exquisite footwork, with strong defence. Lakshya had his defence in the checklist, but his footwork was still a sore in his throat. The Denmark giant was a set ahead when Lakshya fought but lost to nerves.

Axelsen defeated Sen in Olympics SF- sportzpoint.com
Lakshya Sen shaking hands with Victor Axelsen after being defeated in the Olympics Semifinal. (AP) 

The bronze medal match had all these including his exposed injury in his smashing hand. The defence he has can aid in this condition but muscular opponents are still a challange to him.

The other veteran on court H.S. Pranoy is a clever lad with versatile techniques. He has got his techniques handy to combat the sluggishness. He thus not only won in Malaysia, but has a Worlds medal round his neck.

Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu with her blazing power heft and work rate till 2019, defies these challanging conditions. The Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal with her sturdy power smash overshadowed her limitations in court coverage capabilities.

PV Sindhu- sportzpoint.com

Indian Approach

India has a love for stroke-making. Even though it is aesthetically pleasing, it question the  practicality in World Badminton.

With the October ticks in, the Europe session starts. The badminton camp then comes back and does a wide India-hoping, visiting smallcities playing number of tournaments! But how that that judge their efficiency in slow courts!

Read also: BAI to give Rs 50 lakh cash rewards to Paris Paralympics 2024 medalists

The slow courts host a major number of important international tournaments. With India not getting enough time their will never expire the frustration of them not getting medals.

Rookies like Priyanshu Rajawat will depend more on strokeplays like his ancestor Srikant used todo. Not failing the later, Rajawat will succumb to frustrating errors, missing points. Srikant had Son Wan-ho, but Rajawat will have way more equipped opponents-  Kunlavut Vitidsarn and of Kodai Naraoka.

Its high time for Indian to spend more time on slow courts, count quality over quantity, in order to not miss any well deserved title in fututre, 

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Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019

Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

May 24, 2025, 7:22 AM2 min read

Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019 | sportzpoint.com

Kidambi Srikanth turned back the clock in spectacular fashion, battling past Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-18, 23-21 in a heart-pounding semi-final at the Malaysia Masters on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Indian badminton star, once the world’s best, is now headed to his first BWF World Tour final since 2019—a moment that feels like a triumphant homecoming for fans who’ve cheered him through thick and thin.

Srikanth, who had slipped to world number 82 earlier this month, battled through the qualifiers to reach the main draw of the tournament. Srikanth's journey to the final has been nothing short of inspiring, as he outclassed higher-ranked opponents with a combination of determination and resilience.

Read Also | India’s Next Badminton Superstar: The Rising Stars to Watch in 2025

The tightly contested match against Tanaka saw Srikanth hold his nerve in crunch moments, particularly in the second game, where he edged out a 23-21 victory after a very close finish.

This achievement marks a significant comeback for the Indian shuttler, who has faced challenges with form and rankings in recent years. His last BWF final appearance was at the 2019 India Open against Viktor Axelsen, and this achievement in Kuala Lumpur signals a potential return to his peak form.

Srikanth will now face either Kodai Naraoka of Japan or China's Li Shi Feng in the final, as he aims to clinch his first title since the 2017 French Open.

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Malaysia Masters 2025: Kidambi Srikanth progresses to the men’s singles semifinals

Kidambi Srikanth remains India's lone survivor in the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament after he advanced to the men's singles semifinals.

May 23, 2025, 11:47 AM2 min read

Malaysia Masters 2025: Kidambi Srikanth progresses to the men’s singles semifinals

India's experienced shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Friday booked his berth in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament. Srikanth is now the only Indian in the tournament.

Also Read: India’s Next Badminton Superstar: The Rising Stars to Watch in 2025

First semi-final in a year

Against world number 65, Srikanth defeated France's 18th seed Toma Junior Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a match that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. Former world number one Srikanth will have to overcome the challenge of Japan's Yushi Tanaka to make it to the Malaysia Masters 2025 final. Tanaka defeated Toma Junior's brother Christo Popov 21-18, 16-21, 21-6.

This will be the first semi-final in a year for World Championship and Asian Games silver medalist Srikanth.

Srikanth made inspiring comeback to seal the contest

The Indian badminton player made a brisk start, surging to a 7-4 lead in the opening game, only for Popov to claw his way back. It was the French shuttler who held a game point opportunity at 21-20, but Srikanth turned the tide to snatch the opener.

Srikanth trailed by four points at the break in the second game. He drew level at 15-15 but lost steam as the match went into the decider.

Srikanth was also four points behind his opponent in the third midgame break of the match, but this time, he mounted an inspiring comeback to seal the contest. It was his fourth win over Toma Junior Popov from six meetings.

Also Read: Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

Kapila-Crasto's journey ends in quarter-finals

In the other semi-final, fourth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan and second seed Li Shi Feng of China will face each other. In mixed doubles, the journey of the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto came to an end in the quarter-finals. Kapila and Crasto lost to top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China 22-24, 13-21 in 35 minutes.

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Thailand Open 2025 badminton: Lakshya Sen knocked out; Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda advanced to next round

Top men’s singles shuttler Lakshya Sen bowed out in the opening round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament.

May 15, 2025, 10:59 AM2 min read

Thailand Open 2025 badminton: Lakshya Sen knocked out; Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda advanced to next round

Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen crashed out in the first round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament while Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advanced to the second round of the women's singles after winning tough matches in the Super 500 tournament.

Unnati faces a tough challenge

Unnati Hooda faces a tough challenge against top seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, while Malvika Bansod takes on former world champion and seasoned Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon in the second round.

Aakarshi Kashyap completes the women's singles trio as she looks to continue her campaign. In the men’s singles draw, Tharun Mannepalli remains the lone Indian hope.

Lakshya and Priyanshu suffered early exits

In the men's singles, both Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat suffered early exits, bowing out in the first round. The women’s singles saw better fortunes, with Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, and Malvika Bansod progressing to the second round, while Anupama Upadhyay and Santosh Ramraj were eliminated.

Lakshya Sen was ousted by Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in a three-game encounter that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sen, ranked among India’s top badminton talents, went down 18-21, 21-9, 17-21 in a match that saw momentum swings.

After narrowly losing the opening game, Sen responded with a dominating performance in the second, unleashing sharp smashes and fast-paced rallies to level the match. But Nguyen dug deep in the decider, pulling ahead 17-13 and holding his composure in the pressure moments to complete the upset and move into the second round. India’s men’s singles woes were compounded by Priyanshu Rajawat’s exit, as he fell short in another three-game battle, losing 13-21, 21-17, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.

Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for main round

Earlier, former world no.1 Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for the main round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament after losing his second match in the qualifiers on Tuesday.

Srikanth, a world championships silver medallist, defeated Sankar Subramanian 21-15, 21-17 in his first round of qualifiers before losing to Tharun Mannepalli 21-16, 21-19 in the second.

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German Open 2025 Badminton: Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto advance to the semi-finals

Kapila and Crasto have kept India's hopes alive at the German Open 2025, all eyes will be on their semi-final clash as they aim to make the final. They will now take on Indonesia's Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in the semi-finals.

Mar 1, 2025, 11:50 AM2 min read

German Open 2025 Badminton: Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto advance to the semi-finals

India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated People's Republic of China's Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying in straight games to enter the semi-finals of the German Open 2025 badminton tournament on Friday.

Paris Olympics 2024 star Tanisha Crasto and her mixed doubles partner Dhruv Kapila produced a brilliant performance to defeat the Chinese pair 21-14, 21-17 in just 30 minutes.

Also Read: India’s Legacy in Badminton: From Prakash Padukone to the New Generation of Champions

Kapil-Crasto only Indian left in the tournament 

Kapila and Crasto have kept India's hopes alive at the German Open 2025, all eyes will be on their semi-final clash as they aim to make the final.

They will now take on Indonesia's Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in the semi-finals.

Indian pair took the first game

Kapila and Crasto made a great start and took an 11-2 lead in the opening game. 

Although Gao and Wu made a brief comeback to reduce the lead to 13-10, the Indian pair quickly established their dominance to take the first game.

The second game proved to be a tough match, with the Chinese pair putting up strong resistance. 

However, Kapila and Crasto held their nerve to win and book a place in the semi-finals.

Unnati Hooda lost

Meanwhile, in the men's singles, India's Tharun Mannepalli, ranked 59th in the world, crashed out of the German Open 2025 tournament after losing a tough match 16-21, 21-17, 21-8 to third seed Toma Popov of France.

In the women's singles category, world number 64 Unnati Hooda suffered defeat after a marathon battle against 41st ranked Riko Gunji of Japan. 

Hooda won the first game 21-15 but lost match points in the next two games and eventually lost 15-21, 25-23, 24-22.

India's Rakshitha Sree Ramraj and Tasnim Mir also bowed out after losing in the women's singles category. 

Ramraj lost 12-21, 12-21 against fourth seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark, while Mir retired against Thuy Linh Nguyen of Vietnam.

Mir was trailing 19-21, 21-12, 0-7 before losing the match.

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India’s Legacy in Badminton: From Prakash Padukone to the New Generation of Champions

India played a major role in badminton emerging as a sport of global renown. Here, we take a look at India's legacy in badminton and how the sub-continent shaped the sport as we know it today.

Feb 12, 2025, 10:55 AM7 min read

India’s Legacy in Badminton: From Prakash Padukone to the New Generation of Champions

Badminton, in recent years, has seen an unprecedented rise in popularity in India, primarily sparked by the emergence of global superstars like PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Renkireddy and others.

But India’s connection with the game of badminton goes back a lot further, even to the ancient times.

In fact, India played a major role in badminton emerging as a sport of global renown.

Here, we take a look at India's legacy in badminton and how the sub-continent shaped the sport as we know it today.

Indian Badminton | Historical Overview 

The exact origins of badminton, till date, remain obscure but there have been references of games involving shuttlecocks and rackets in historic records of ancient India, China and Greece.

The mentions dated back almost 2000 years.

In medieval Europe, a children’s game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which players used a paddle (battledore) to keep a small-feathered shuttlecock in the air as long as possible, was also popular.

Jeu de Volant was another similar game played by European aristocrats in the 17th century.

The transformation of the past-time racket sport to becoming a globally-recognised sporting discipline, however, started from India.

British army officers got introduced to the indigenous version of the game, played for centuries, while stationed in India around the 1860s.

They made their own adaptations to the sport, primarily adding the net and called it Poona or Poonah, after the town (Pune) the garrison was based in.

The first informal set of badminton rules for the game were formed in India by the British colonists in 1867.

Interestingly, ball badminton – another variation of the game involving woollen balls instead of shuttlecocks - was popular in southern parts of India.

The British soldiers in India took inspiration from that as well and used balls rather than shuttlecocks while playing the game in windy or wet conditions.

Soldiers returning from India took the game back to England and soon enough, it caught the attention of the erstwhile Duke of Beaufort.

In 1873, the Duke introduced the game to his guests at a lawn-party held at his estate in Gloucestershire.

The Duke called it ‘the Badminton game’ after the name of his estate – the Badminton House.

The name stuck, and thus sport became badminton.

BAI established in 1899

Badminton’s popularity surged rapidly and it progressed from being a recreational garden activity to becoming a game popular at clubs.

The Bath Badminton Club, the first dedicated badminton club, was formed in 1877 and ten years later, the club rewrote the informal rules coined in India.

The Bath Badminton Club rules established the framework for modern-day badminton.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) was established in 1899, six years after the Badminton Association of England (BAE).

It is one of the oldest badminton governing bodies in the world.

IBF established in 1934

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was established in 1934 as the world governing body for the sport.

It was later renamed to Badminton World Federation (BWF). India joined the group in 1936.

Badminton became a part of the Summer Olympics at the Barcelona 1992 Games with men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles and women’s doubles events added to the roster.

In 1996, mixed doubles was added to the list.

First male shuttlers to represent India at Olympics

Deepankar Bhattacharya and U Vimal Kumar were the first male shuttlers to represent India at the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992.

Madhumita Bisht was India’s sole women representative at the event.

Badminton in India also latched on to the trend of franchisee-based sporting leagues with the Premier Badminton League (PBL), which started in 2016.

India’s Legacy in Badminton | Iconic players over the years

India’s Legacy in Badminton: From Prakash Padukone to the New Generation of Champions

Every sport in India has its own set of heroes and badminton is no different. These shuttlers were key in putting their country on the global badminton map.

Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone was probably the first superstar in the history of badminton in India.

Padukone was the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships in 1980 and reach No. 1 in the men’s badminton world rankings.

He was also India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medallist in badminton, winning the men’s singles event in 1978.

The ace shuttler also holds several other accolades, including a bronze at the 1983 World Badminton Championships and a gold in the 1981 World Cup in Singapore.

Pullela Gopichand

Mentored by Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand took over his teacher’s mantle in the 90s and early 2000s.

Gopichand won the All England in 2001 and etched his name in Indian history of badminton. 

Like Prakash Padukone did for him, Pullela Gopichand, too, dedicated himself to moulding the next generation of Indian badminton’s torch bearers.

Saina Nehwal

One of Pullela Gopichand’s star pupils, Saina Nehwal is India’s first-ever Olympic medallist in badminton.

Nehwal won the bronze in the London 2012 Olympics women’s singles event.

She is also the only Indian woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world, reaching the summit in 2015.

PV Sindhu

Five years younger than Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu has taken world badminton by storm and went a step higher on the podium after Nehwal’s bronze with a women’s singles silver at the Rio 2016 Games.

In 2019, she became the first Indian-ever to win a gold medal at the BWF World Championships.

PV Sindhu also became the first Indian woman to win two medals at the Olympics after she bagged a bronze at Tokyo 2020.

PV Sindhu has been extremely consistent at the World Championships and has also won two silvers and two bronze medals in the tournament in addition to the landmark gold.

Like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu has also been mentored by Pullela Gopichand.

Kidambi Srikanth

Kidambi Srikanth has been the top men’s badminton player in India since Pullela Gopichand retired.

Srikanth has six BWF Superseries and three BWF Grand Prix victories under his belt and was ranked the No. 1 men’s player in the world in 2018.

He’s the only Indian men’s shuttler since Prakash Padukone to be ranked top.

In 2021, Kidambi Srikanth became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the badminton world championships.

He was also a member of the historic Thomas Cup-winning Indian badminton team in 2022.

Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen’s rapid rise in the world of badminton has been nothing short of meteoric.

From being a kid who was competing at the junior level not too long ago, Lakshya Sen has now beaten the legends of the sport and won medals at the highest level, emerging as the poster boy of Indian badminton.

In 2021, Lakshya Sen started reaching the business end of major tournaments consistently and challenged the biggest names on the circuit.

Lakshya became the fourth Indian man to win a badminton world championship medal (bronze).

He also won gold medal at Commonwealth Games 2022 and silver at All England Open.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lakshya Sen made history by becoming the first Indian to make the men's singles semi-finals at the Summer Games.

Lakshya would eventually miss out on a medal in Paris after losing to Lee Zii Jia in the bronze playoff.

Apart from these, Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Parupalli Kashyap, HS Prannoy are some other notable names.

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