When Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended their title drought at the Singapore Open, the first thing to focus on was their tactical adjustments, strokes, and the quality of their shot-making while defending and attacking in the final. Yet for Satwik, the biggest weapon they had wasn’t technical. It was mental.
The Indian duo were put under pressure after narrowly losing the opening game 18-21. Sometimes these moments prove to be turning points in finals. A missed opportunity to take the lead can lead to more errors, self-doubt and rushed decisions. But Satwik and Chirag took a different route.
Also Read: Satwik-Chirag win Singapore Open, end two-year title drought
“I felt we were playing the right game plan. It was just a matter of 1-2 points, where we were leading 18-17 in the first game,” said Satwik, while speaking to Hindustan Times.
Accepting the possibility of defeat
The pair didn’t let the pressure get to them. Instead of abandoning their strategy, they trusted the process. More importantly, they accepted the possibility of defeat without letting it affect their performance.
“There was a little bit more confidence, like it’s fine, we will accept if we lose. But we will give our everything and lose. The attitude was pretty much calm. It is okay, we will lose as champions,” he said.
The confidence didn’t emerge in isolation. It was built and harnessed through preparation.
“So even if we are down somewhere, then in the second game also we wanted to give a fightback. We have fought all the way from the first match itself. We were down in most of our matches. In the quarterfinals, we were down 8-3 in the second game after losing, then we came back from that. Even with the Koreans serving in the semifinals, we were down 17-13 something, from there we won.”
‘Pretty much about confidence in the second game’: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
The pair looked rusty in the opening game, and the Indonesian pair took advantage to close it out in 21 minutes. But in the second game, Satwik-Chirag responded with greater aggression. They raced to a 2-0 lead and had an 11-8 advantage in the interval. Then, after the restart, the lead stretched to 14-8. The Indonesians reduced the gap to 20-17, and Satwik-Chirag eventually sealed the game after 24 minutes. Chirag’s work rate at the net was decisive.
Body language is essential in sports. Legends from different sports have stated that maintaining a confident body language helps in the psychological battle with opponents. So instead of projecting anxiety, they reflected belief. In elite sports, opponents can spot uncertainty. But Satwik and Chirag didn’t offer that opening, and as the match progressed, the psychological battle also shifted in their favour.
“We just got that confidence that we pull things back, when we are down also. We just want to keep the body language perfect and show that we are not here to lose. We are here to show everything and see what will happen,” said Satwik.
“So I think we didn’t change much, but pretty much about confidence in the second game, that we are doing the right thing, we just need to up the quality a little bit more, like a little bit sharper on the strokes. So I think that has helped in the second game. In the third game, we started confidently. We felt the opponents were under pressure, so we just grabbed a few points here and there. We kept on the pressure, I think it was a different game in the second and third,” he added.
In the decider, they produced their vintage best, just when it mattered the most. Satwik’s dominant smashes stood out. The Indonesian pair also seemed to be running out of confidence and stamina. The Indian duo took a 6-2 lead with five consecutive points, and continued their attacking approach. They were 11-6 ahead at the final interval. After the interval, the Indonesians mounted a fightback, reducing the deficit to 12-11.
It proved to be a wake-up call for Satwik-Chirag, and they kept their composure. Satwik’s smashes kept them ahead as they went from 15-13 to 16-13, then 18-13, before getting five match points at 20-15. They received a yellow card for delaying the serve, but it didn’t really matter. Their opponent sent his return into the net on the next point, leading to celebrations as they ended their two-year title drought.
Importance of former Danish shuttler Mathias Boe
Chirag also highlighted the impact of former Danish shuttler Mathias Boe, who has worked with them in the past. He has once again been working closely with the pair as a consultant.
“I think it’s been a month. He has been helping us remotely. Especially with match analysis before the matches,” he said.
With Boe back on the team, preparation is a collaborative effort involving both players and their coach.
“Both me and Satwik, even the coach, actually all four of us sit together usually before matches and see what works and what doesn’t. A sort of brainstorming and see what the areas are that we need to attack and what the game plan should be. I think it’s been going good so we are really happy,” he added.
No magical new strategy, trust the process
The Singapore Open final showed the complete package required in elite sports to win at the highest level. There was preparation, tactical planning, and analysis, but when the match hung by a thread, psychology became the decisive weapon.
Their fightback wasn’t successful because they found a magical new strategy after the first game. They won because they remained calm, trusted the process and their preparation, believing they could fight back no matter the scoreline.
