World No 4 Kidambi Srikanth believes men’s singles badminton is now more wide open than before when only a couple of players used to dominate the circuit.
Fresh from winning his fourth Superseries title of the year at the French Open on Sunday, Srikanth said many players on the circuit are capable of winning tournaments, unlike before, adding that this was good for the sport.
“For a long time I think Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan have dominated badminton,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. “Now, it has become more open. Me, Viktor [Axelsen] and even other Indian players are winning tournaments. It has become more wide open and it’s always good for the sport when you have so many champions.”
He added, “These days, there are many players who are playing really well and anybody can beat anyone on their given day. So, it’s always important to be at your best against anyone.”
Srikanth, however, said that he doesn’t think Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan are nearing the end of their careers. “I can’t really say that’s their end. They have played at the highest level and really have the experience to come back. One can’t really take them lightly.
“Lin Dan played in the final of World Championship. They definitely are tough every time you play them. But we need to believe in ourselves that we can do well.”
Srikanth is set to rise to a career best world No 2 rank next week after his recent exploits. A title win at the upcoming China and Hong Kong Opens could propel him to the No 1 spot ahead of world champion Axelsen. However, he reiterated that he doesn’t want to run behind the rankings.
“To be frank I don’t really think too much about the rankings,” he said. “I really did well in the last eight to 10 months. I want to just keep playing tournaments and enjoy playing the sport.
“If you do consistently well, rankings do follow and I don’t want to run behind the rankings. I really want to play well in the tournaments.”
Srikanth said he was pleased to beat Axelsen in the Denmark Open quarter-finals after losing to him twice this year. “I was really thinking to play well because I played a great match against him in the Japan Open but I lost by just two-three points. I didn’t want that to happen.
“I wanted to do better and luckily I was able to do it. I am happy with the way I played that quarter-final match. He has been in a great form and that win gave me a lot of confidence.”