Satwik Chirag urged by doubles coach to work on defence and consistency at the Olympics

Flandy Limpele who is a doubles specialist coach strongly believe that the men’s pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty can deliver India’s first doubles medal at Tokyo Olympics provided they strengthen their defence and work on their overall consistency.

The pair [Satwik and Chirag] had a breakthrough season as they won their first super 500 titles at the Thailand Open and finished runners up at the French Open Super750to attain a career-best ranking of world number 7.

Their impressive outing also earned them a nomination by the Badminton World Federation for the Most Improved Player of the Year award-both in the singles and doubles categories.

Both Chirag and Satwik looked to have formed a solid partnership and have made a lot of progress this year. But there are a few things which they need to improve on.

Their defence is below par, and there are also a series of inconsistencies in their performances as the Olympics games draw nearer in Tokyo. It is all glaring that they have the mental and physical capabilities to win a medal at the Olympics. Still, they need consistency in terms of shot selection, on-court strategy, and have to improve in their all-round games.

Limpele also pointed out the fact that the wrong attitude of the players and lack of teamwork is one of the significant issues affecting the growth of doubles in India.

The coach went on to stress the fact that it has to do with attitudinal change of the players as it has become a significant challenge in doubles because it is solely based on team effort and not individual.

Limpele also gave regard to the Indian coaches saying that he respects them and believe India still needs time to get a proper coach for Super Series level, and it will happen soon.