Sai Praneeth ends India's 36-year wait for men's singles Worlds medal

In 2019, B Sai Praneeth secured India's first men's singles World Championship medal in 36 years, a bronze at the Basel tournament. The last Indian to achieve this was Prakash Padukone in 1983. Sai Praneeth insists that focusing on each match rather than the historic context helped him succeed.

He defeated Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the quarterfinals, a player he had beaten twice before. "I knew I could beat him again," Sai told this newspaper. The victory was not a surprise to him, given his preparation and the confidence gained from winning the Arjuna Award earlier that week.

Sai's path to bronze included wins over Canada's Jason Ho-Shue, South Korea's Dukyoung Lee, and Indonesia's Anthony Ginting. He lost in the semifinals to Japan's Kento Momota, who went on to win gold. His medal came on the same day as PV Sindhu won gold in women's singles, a historic double for Indian badminton.

Reflecting on the achievement, Sai said, "Someone had to start, so I did." He credited his coach Pullela Gopichand for guidance but noted that the pressure of the moment was managed by taking one match at a time. "I was never worried about the on-court game. Fitness needed to be good," he added.

Sai's bronze medal is now displayed prominently at his home. However, he is reluctant to discuss it extensively with the younger generation he coaches, saying, "We are very different. They won't understand." He believes the current players are more fitness-conscious but also face more distractions from social media.

Since Sai's breakthrough, other Indians like Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy have also won medals at the World Championships, building on the foundation he laid.