P V Sindhu's coach Pullela Gopichand has lauded her for a "gritty" performance after she clinched the China Open on Sunday. Gopi, who didn't travel with the Olympic silver medallist, said he was impressed with the "character" Sindhu showed to overcome tricky situations over the course of the tournament.
Three of Sindhu's five matches over the week extended to three games, including the final against local player Sun Yu and despite being on court for nearly five hours, Gopi was pleased to see her maintain her intensity and not wilt under pressure.
"I think her play has been fantastic all week," Gopichand told ESPN. "She has fought hard, she has played with a lot of character, and showed us some good back court strokes, good movement and fitness. She's somebody with a good work ethic and a strong physique. I have always thought of her to be one of the fitter players and this performance just enforces that viewpoint. Although we have had a lot of felicitations happening, we have managed a decent amount of training in the last few weeks which is very creditable, not just by Sindhu but also her parents."
Sindhu's best effort at a Super Series event was previously at the Denmark Open in 2015, where she had reached the final.
Although her glittering CV included two World Championship bronze medals besides the silver from Rio, a Super Series title -- the elite tournaments in the sport -- had remained elusive.
Gopi admits that while he wasn't losing any sleep over it, the win in China may have taken a "burden off her shoulders" because the missing Super Series title may have been playing on Sindhu's mind. His focus as a coach, however, remains on more long-term goals such as continuing to develop her game so she can be counted among the top players on the international circuit.
"To be at the top of any world sport, you have to adapt," he says. "It is about how well you counter your opponents and how well you are converting your losses into victories over a period of time. People will mark you and figure you out and you need to do the same to your opponents. It is an ongoing struggle. She has proved that she can play well in various venues and it is good to see her progress. Sindhu played a good level in Rio and she has played one more level here. I expect that there is another step to go and feel that she can improve further."
Despite having pocketed the title in China, Sindhu may not make the cut for the year end Super Series Finals in Dubai in December, contested between the top eight players on the circuit. Having missed a few Super Series events at the start of the year as she was recovering from injury, Sindhu might not be able to accumulate enough points to qualify for the prestigious event. Gopi is unperturbed by the prospect insisting he isn't "even thinking about it."
Sindhu now travels to Hong Kong for another Super Series event next week where she isn't among the top eight seeds.