‘Think about the next point’: Satwik on keeping emotions in check with Chirag

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy says he and doubles partner Chirag Shetty have learned to control their emotions on court and quickly move past mistakes. The pair are preparing to defend their Asian Games men’s doubles gold after winning the China Masters title

New Delhi: India’s badminton star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said he and doubles partner Chirag Shetty have learned to control their emotions on court, choosing to quickly move past mistakes rather than get angry with each other during matches.

Asked whether he or Chirag gets angrier after losing a point and who takes longer to cool down, Satwik said their approach has changed over the years during a virtual media interaction ahead of the Asian Games on Thursday.

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“No, we both don’t get angry quickly. We kind of adjust with that. I used to react before. If someone makes a mistake, if I do or Chirag does a mistake, I used to just react. But now I don’t react much. As in, it’s just a point. We are on to the next point,” Satwik said in response to an IANS query.

The Indian shuttler said they have realised that displaying frustration towards a partner can disrupt the rhythm of their combination, making it important to shift their focus immediately.

“So, it became like a little mental thing also. Like, when you show emotions to your partner, it doesn’t gel well. So, it just needs to be like, think about the next point, next point. So, we don’t get angry. We never got angry on court till now. So, we never showed it either. We just move on to the next one,” he added.

Satwik said the pair have adopted the same mindset after defeats as well, preferring to look ahead rather than dwell on a lost match.

“So, because we have so many points, we just don’t… Even with the loser match also, we’ll just say, ‘Yeah, I’ll play next time. On to the next one,’” he said.

The Indian pair are now preparing to defend their Asian Games men’s doubles gold after their memorable triumph in Hangzhou in 2022.

Recalling their experience at the previous Asian Games, Satwik revealed that the excitement surrounding the final was so intense that neither he nor Chirag could sleep properly the night before the match.

“I think I still remember the last, I mean, the night before the finals; I and Chirag couldn’t sleep actually. So around 1.30 or so, I woke up for the water. Then I heard a sound in Chirag’s room. Like I was telling myself, at least get some few hours of sleep at least,” he recalled.

“The next morning I asked Chirag, ‘Shetty bhai, tu bhi soya nahi kya?’ Then he also said, like, ‘No, I also didn’t sleep.’ So I think we couldn’t sleep the before night,” Satwik added.

He said the tournament became one of the biggest moments of their careers, with India first competing in the team event before the individual competition.

“At that moment, I didn’t feel so much, but now I’m feeling like how great that moment was. For me, I leave it over there. Like whenever I finish winning there, that day was the winner. The next day is normal for me. But I think if we look back again, if you talk about those things, those moments, I think I feel goosebumps,” he said.

“I still can hear that national anthem, winning Asian Games in China. I think it’s one of the biggest things. I think nobody would have dreamed that in doubles, badminton will win the Asian Games,” Satwik added.

Satwik and Chirag will enter the Asian Games with confidence after winning the men’s doubles title at the China Masters. The world No. 5 pair defeated the Chinese combination of He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in the final to claim their 10th career title on the BWF World Tour.