on Monday said he has been working to shed his ‘natural laidback approach’ to become a more aggressive player as he gears up for a tough World Championship debut in which his opening match is against current No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China.
The World Championships get underway here on August 17.
The World No. 23 Indian has lost to Shi Yuqi three times, including in the final of the Asian Championships, but feels those defeats have provided him valuable lessons ahead of their next meeting. “I have lost three times. I had some good learning, also ABC final. The tactical aspect of the game, he was much better, but we have been working hard. I feel stronger,” Shetty said during a virtual interaction.
Shi Yuqi. Pic/AFP
“He [Yuqi] is a really tough opponent. I remember ABC final, he was really prepared. I have gotten better, I have been analysing the match, and also the mental aspect. You have to really work hard against him,” Shetty added.
Shetty, 21, became the first Indian men’s singles player in 61 years to win a silver medal at the Badminton Asia C’ships this year.
Shetty has been working with Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who also trains “The training has been tougher. We’ve been training long and he has been focussing on speed. I’ve been trying to be agile, faster and aggressive,” he said.
Shetty has also been sparring with Sindhu, which he feels has helped him develop his own game. “We’ve been training together. She’s also tall and attacking. There’s a lot to learn. We’ve been playing a similar type of game. I’ave been trying to be more aggressive. It gives me more energy, consciously. My natural style will be more laidback, not express much, but I have been trying to be aggressive,” Shetty added.
The Mangalore shuttler also wants to measure his progress against his own standards rather than comparing himself to the legends of the sport. “I would want to set my own benchmark. I am not following others, legends of the game. I have been focusing on myself, to get better. I wouldn’t want to think about setting a benchmark for the next generation. I just want to focus on the game,” he said.