New Delhi: As the historic News9 Corporate Badminton Championship 2025 kicked off with great energy, the spotlight wasn’t just on the court action but also on the stories behind India’s badminton success. Before the tournament got underway, News9 spoke to Pullela Gopichand, one of the biggest names in Indian sports, in an exclusive conversation.
The legendary badminton player-turned-coach, known for shaping icons like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, shared how his journey began and what went into building his Hyderabad-based academy from the ground up.
Gopichand revealed the countless sacrifices he made to turn his vision into reality and opened up about the values that drive his training philosophy. More importantly, he decoded what it takes to turn a talented player into a champion – a formula rooted in discipline, hard work, and belief.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: What changes have occurred from the formative years of the academy to its current period of success?
A: Look, this has been a journey for me. In the beginning, I did not even know whether I would be able to make sports a career or not. But as time passed and I started playing, I realised how many challenges we face for the basic things, be it courts, availability of shuttles, gyms, recovery, food, accommodation… these are all basic things.
I am not even talking about sports nutrition, physiology, psychology, or biomechanics. When I won the All England and started going abroad, I realised how much we lack basic things like coaching, training. That’s when the idea came up around 2003, and this academy was formed in 2007. And yes, I feel very fortunate that I found good people who supported me.
Q: When this academy started, I heard that your wife herself used to cook food for the children who lived here. Your mother still takes care of everything, food, plants, everything. I want to ask you how this experience has been for these children? What do they expect from this badminton academy today, and are they satisfied with the facilities?
A: I think this is the biggest success of this academy. I am happy to say with full confidence that since 2007, we have never had to stop a session due to a lack of courts or any other reason. This is very important because in sports, you don’t have holidays or weekends. You need infrastructure all the time, and we have provided that here.
If someone has the desire to play, the urge to achieve something, then we have all that available. With the help of coaches, physios, trainers, and everyone, we have been able to do this. Now it is up to the player how hard he works and how much he pushes himself.
Q: Let us now talk about the champions who have come out of this academy. Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth, Satwik… the list is very long.
A: Yes, I have been very fortunate. We have created an ecosystem where success came one after the other. When I won the All England, I believed that if I can win, any Indian can win. And with that belief, I started this journey. I am happy that people supported me, and these children brought glory to the country.
Q: But my next question is that you guide some players because you see something special in them. It cannot be just a skill. What do you see in a child that you say, ‘Yes, he has that thing which can take him forward’?
A: It is easy to see talent, but it is very common. The real thing is that the child who says smilingly at 4:15 in the morning, ‘I am ready’, is the real player. The one who comes ready the next day, even after defeat, comes back even after injury and says, ‘I am ready to play again’, that is the real passion.
Coming every day with the same energy, not breaking down despite defeat. These qualities are very important, along with talent. When all these are there, then the result is also certain.
Q: Now I have to ask this. How strict are you as a coach? You seem to be a very calm person, but when the players are in their rooms, do they have to follow any strict routine?
A: I have changed myself with time. Earlier, I used to be the coach, trainer, everything. I used to wake up the children myself, check whether there are biscuits or chocolates in the room or not. But now we have a coach, trainer, physio, and mental trainer. Now I don’t do all that, but yes, my work gets done, I can say that much. And a good coach is one who gets his work done completely, whether he seems strict or soft.
Pullela Gopichand opened up ahead of the News9 Corporate Badminton Championship, which is being held from May 9–11 at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Hyderabad. Badminton Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
