At Gopichand academy, the goal is perfection

Suresh Dharur in Hyderabad

It is 4 am at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli, Hyderabad’s IT hub. The silence outside is broken by the sound of the shuttle cocks hitting the rackets, the squeak of the players’ shoes as they shuffle across the court and a booming voice of Gopichand, the disciplinarian-mentor.

The practice session continues for three hours, followed by a strategy meeting where the 42-year-old coach, the former All England Badminton champion and Dronacharya recipient, analyses the strengths and weaknesses of each player and gives them tips. The most sought-after part of the practice session is the opportunity that the juniors get to play some rallies with senior and accomplished players.

Spread over five acres in the heart of the city’s software hub, the academy is the cynosure after its student PV Sindhu has done the country proud by bagging Silver in the Rio Olympics. The racquet warriors of this academy -- Sindhu & Kidambi Srikanth -- provided a ray of hope with their splendid performance.

The academy has churned out world-ranking shuttlers like Saina Nehwal, Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap and Srikanth. “We focus not just on physical fitness and the nuances of the game, but also on the need to keep calm and be mentally strong,” says Gopichand who worked with Sindhu for a year, fine-tuning her game, in the run-up to the Olympics. Along with her, he also subjected himself to a punishing diet and fitness regimen: no fatty foods, no chocolates, no biryani and no ice-creams. A weight trainer and physical fitness expert were roped in.

In the last 13 years since it was set up, the academy has attracted talent from across the country. Over 160 shuttlers are currently training at the academy. “I am under Gopichand’s training for the last 12 years. He is the best coach,” says Sindhu. The Andhra Pradesh government had allotted the land for the academy in 2003 as a token of appreciation for his All-England triumph in 2001. Raising funds to create world-class infrastructure proved a herculean task. Gopichand mortgaged his house to raise Rs 3.

The selection

The players who have demonstrated a reasonable level of flair in the game and those who had performed well or won matches at the sub-junior level will be preferred for enrollment. A screening camp will be conducted at the academy. At present, there are 160 shuttlers undergoing training at the academy. That is the maximum capacity. No more admissions, for now, officials said.

Several shuttlers at the academy get the sponsorship benefits extended by Olympic Gold Quest, a non-profit organization promoted by Geet Sethi, Prakash Padukone and others. 

The academy says there are no seats. Gopichand plans another academy in Noida soon.