When PV Sindhu had her say in family court

P.V. Sindhu’s parents Ramana (left) and Vijaya watch the final at the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad on Friday. (Photo: Pavan Kumar)

To the casual observer, P.V. Sindhu might come across a shy, unassuming girl who’s tall for her age and happens to be preternaturally gifted with the badminton racquet.

But to her opponents, the 5-foot-11-inch-tall shuttler is a terrifying presence who uses her height to her fullest advantage, snapping off deceptively quick returns, sending down brutal smashes, and lunging across the court to make light work of seemingly hopeless shuttles.

With her unprecedented silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Sindhu has been immortalised in India’s sporting history as the only woman to win an individual silver.

What makes the achievement even sweeter is that she did it with Pullela Gopichand in her corner. Not many know that Sindhu chose badminton over volleyball — her family sport — after she was inspired by Gopi’s historic All-England Open victory back in 2001.

Sindhu was born to P.V. Ramana and Vijaya on July 5, 1995. Both her parents were volleyball players of repute. In fact, her father had even won the Arjun Award for his sporting exploits. Coming from such an excellent sporting stock, it was but natural to assume Sindhu — whose lanky frame takes after her father’s — would become a volleyball player too.

But the youngster had different ideas. She took inspiration from Gopi’s All England win and wanted to become a shuttler.

She got her grounding in the sport at the Railways badminton club. And then her life changed. She joined Pullela Gopichand’s fledgling badminton academy and over the next few years, she came into her own, winning a hatful of medals at national-level and ranking tournaments.

But she truly signalled her rise into the stratosphere when she bagged a bronze medal at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships in Colombo. She then took a silver at the Fajr International Badminton Challenge in Iran in 2010.

Sindhu had finally come out of the shadows.

But the first couple of years in the big leagues were mixed, to say the least, and it seemed like Sindhu would be the latest among dozens of unfulfilled potentials produced by India.

Then she won the silver at the Syed Modi Grand Prix in December 2012, zooming to world no. 15.

And then the Malaysian Open came knocking early in 2013. It was her maiden Grand Prix title. Clearly growing in confidence and skill, Sindhu that year created history as India’s first women’s singles medallist at the badminton World Championships when she captured the bronze.

She then captained Awadhe Warriors to the runners-up place at the Indian Badminton League and then won the Macau Grand Prix Gold title.

In 2014, she created history yet again by becoming the only back-to-back medallist from India at the World Championships when she took her second bronze.

Early this year, Sindhu won her second Malaysian Open Grand Prix title.

With an Olympic medal, two World Championships medals, three Grand Prix titles, Sindhu is only missing a Superseries trophy from her cabinet.

But it’s only a matter of time. From a worldbeater, Sindhu just became the one the world must now beat.