Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu is eyeing the world No 1 position next season but said she will not lose her sleepover rankings as consistent performances will automatically earn her the numero uno spot.
Sindhu had achieved a career-best ranking of world No 2 for about two months in the latter half of the season.
Sindhu, who guided Chennai Smashers to a 4-3 win over Mumbai Rockets in PBL last night, said,
I want to see myself as world no 1 in the upcoming season. I am at 3 now and it depends on tournaments, if you play well, you will automatically get the ranking. So I am not thinking much about the rankings. I just have to play well and I know I will automatically be there
The 22-year-old clinched titles at Syed Modi GPG, India Open and Korea Open besides finishing second at World championship, Hong Kong Open and Dubai Super Series Finals this season.
Asked if she ever feels pressure when the crowd cheers for her, Sindhu said,
It actually feels very good to play in India, it motivates me when the crowd cheers for me. Recently, I played at Dubai and I was very happy with the huge support I got there. Expectations will always be there but we have to play our game and give our best. I don’t feel any pressure
According to the new BWF schedule, India Open Super Series will be held by the end of January next year.
Following her performance in 2016 Rio Olympics, Sindhu made it to the coveted ‘Forbes India Celebrity 100 list’ as she became the highest earner with Rs 57.25 crore (in percentage terms) as her total earnings soared nearly 17 times.