Back in action, Sindhu raring to go at Hong Kong and China

Hyderabad: Returning to action after a month-long break due to a knee injury, young shuttler P V Sindhu is hoping to do well in the Hong Kong Open and China Open to be held later this month.

"Right now, I am having Hong Kong and China. I wish that I give my best and play well. My preparations are going on well. I hope to give my 100 per cent in those tournaments," Sindhu, who will leave for the events on Saturday. The 17-year-old Sindhu had skipped the World Junior Badminton Championships in Japan due to inflammation in her right knee. Sindhu had stunned the badminton world when she defeated London Olympics gold medalist Li Xurei of China to storm into the women`s singles semifinals of China Masters Super Series badminton tournament. The lanky shuttler, who is seen as the next big promising player in Indian badminton after London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, broke into the world top 20 ranking in September this year. "I feel happy when I am told that (she is the next big promising player). But, I need to work hard accordingly. It does not come easily. If you work hard, then you will get success automatically," she said. "You need to focus on the game and give 100 per cent every day. Whenever you go to an international tournament, it gives you exposure and experience. You need to work hard." Sindhu considers her height (she 5 fit 10 inch tall) as a strength which enables her to produce powerful attacking strokes against the rivals. "Strengths are, as I am tall, the attacking strokes are powerful. Weakness, in the sense, nothing like that. But in the front and all and it is not a weak point that I am not able to make it. But, I am practicing on those strokes. But it is not that hard," she said. Sindhu said her long term goal is to become world number one and that she is working hard towards realizing it. Asked about the competition from Chinese players, who are the top rankers in world badminton, Sindhu said the Chinese wall is not impregnable. "The Chinese players are good. It is not very easy to beat them. It is not that tough also to beat them. As I won against the Olympic Champion, I felt happy. It is not so tough to beat the Chinese. Who gives the best on the given day is the winner," she added. Sindhu is the runners-up in the recently-held Senior National badminton championship at Srinagar. PTI