India Open: Excited to face Prannoy Bhaiya, Rajawat has Paris-sized dreams

Priyanshu Rajawat beat Lakshya Sen in the first round of the India Open 2024. He will face HS Prannoy next with whom he has trained and calls him Bhaiya. He has eyes on a Paris Olympics berth as well

Priyanshu Rajawat, who beat Lakshya Sen to cause the first upset of the Indian Open 2024 on the opening day of the tournament on Tuesday, January 16, said that he is excited to play Prannoy Bhaiya (HS Prannoy) in the Round of 16 of the tournament. Rajawat, currently ranked 17th in the Race to Paris rankings with 36,800 points to his name, is also keen on qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024.

“Nhi bahut door nhi hai (It’s not very far),” Priyanshu told reporters when asked about whether qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 is very far on his priority list as of now. “I want to play in the Olympics this year itself and there are many tournaments this year and I can cover up that gap. I will try and win most of them and get to Paris,” Rajawat said in the post-match press conference after his first-round match at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi.

 

With one Super 1000 and one Super 750 tournament yet to come after the India Open and six other tournaments with points on offer, if Rajawat manages to make it to the last four of at least six of the seven events, he can finish in the Top 16 of the Race to Paris rankings.

Excited to Play Prannoy

Rajawat, 21, is the new kid on the block as far as Indian badminton is concerned. But he is not someone to go down wondering with the kind of pace he has to offer. Talking about playing number one Indian shuttler Prannoy in the second round, Rajawat said, “It is important for me to play well against Prannoy Bhaiya. The last time I played against him was in Australia and lost in the semi-final. I will try and win against him this time around.”

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“I am fully prepared and we train together at the academy. He is like ‘Bade Bhaiya’ (big brother) to me. He helps me a lot in understanding a lot of things during practice. It is going to be a good game and I am excited about it,” he added, describing his relationship with the world championship bronze medallist. Unlike Rajawat who won a three-set thriller, Prannoy had it easy as he won in straight games against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chan in the first round.

How Did Rajawat Recover from Previous Loss Against Lakshya?

Rajawat played against Sen in the Japan Round of 32 in 2023 where, much like this time, the match went into three rounds, but it was Sen who emerged victorious, winning the third round 24-22 and the game 21-15, 12-21, 24-22.

Explaining how he managed to get over his opponent in a three-setter once again, the Madhya Pradesh-born said, “I was prepared to win this one. Last time I

lost a close game and after I lost the first game, I was like I was not going to leave the second and third one this time around. Last time around I was leading 18-14 in the third set and from there he took the game away from me,” said Rajawat.

At one point in the third set, Rajawat was leading 9-1, but Sen made it 5-9 with four straight points. Talking about how he overcame that phase, Rajawat said, “I tried to slow the game and it worked for me.”

Rajawat’s Recovery from Injury

Rajawat also said that he got injured in December and was not able to do well because of swelling in his back in many tournaments since winning the Orleans Masters in April 2023.

“I had a back injury but I have tried my best to not get injured again. Now in this tournament, I want to perform well,” he said.

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Rajawat also narrated how he came out of that long-term injury. “Mentally I try and meditate to calm my nerves. It has helped me overcome anger and post-injury frustration. I am working on weights and exercising well. I am also working with the nutritionist to be well prepared physically. As of now, I am feeling great,” he added.

Not Having Coach by His Side A Problem

Rajawat, who played in an all-Indian affair against Sen, will once again miss having a coach by his side when he takes on Prannoy in the Round of 16 on Thursday, January 18. This is something he was worried about.

There is no coach on the court when two players of the same team play in the tournament.

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“It does affect especially when we lose points and there is no one to pinpoint mistakes or help us understand how to overcome that situation. We lose that support when we are alone,” said Rajawat.

But Rajawat can get rid of this issue if he gets over Prannoy and enters the quarterfinal, where he will surely not face an Indian opponent as Kiran George in his bracket has already been knocked out.