New Delhi, Aug 18: Star India shuttler PV Sindhu made a confident start to her BWF World Championships 2026 campaign, easing past Ireland’s Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in her opening women’s singles match at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday (August 17).
But after the former world champion’s comfortable opening-round victory, it was not just her performance on court that caught the attention of the media. The 31-year-old shuttler from Hyderabad was also asked about the small device she was wearing on her right temple, which has been part of her preparations and tracks parameters including brain activity, heart rate and sleep.
Sindhu explained that the device can distinguish between cognitive and physical modes, while adding that there are still a few more features associated with it that are yet to be revealed.
The five-time World Championships medallist is chasing a historic sixth medal in New Delhi, where the tournament has returned to India after 17 years. For Sindhu, however, the opening match was as much about getting accustomed to the conditions and embracing the home support as it was about the result.
Sindhu explains the device on her right temple
The first question during Sindhu’s post-match interaction with the media was about the device sitting on her right temple and what it does. “It tells you, you know, your brain flow and it tells you your heart rate, obviously, your sleep and everything,” Sindhu explained.
Asked whether the device can distinguish between cognitive and physical modes, she said: “Yeah, it does, it does, and there are a few things adding up as well, and it is yet to come out.”
‘It really gives you that kind of goosebumps’
Sindhu admitted that stepping onto court for her first World Championships match on home soil came with a different feeling. “I was very excited to get onto the court. I think that was the first thing that would come into my mind, and that came into my mind, in fact, when I was getting onto the court, because you’re playing in your home ground and, you know, the crowd is waiting for you to come onto the court,” the double Olympic-medallist star said.
“The cheering really gives you that kind of goosebumps when you get onto the court. There are people with me, supporting me and, you know, keeping me going.”
The atmosphere at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium was one of the major talking points of the opening day, with the Indian contingent receiving strong backing from the home crowd.
Sindhu said that feeling was noticeable even before the first rally. “When I was entering the court, I did have that feeling because the atmosphere is completely different when you play on your home ground,” she said.
‘It was important to go out there and see the court conditions’
While the 21-7, 21-11 scoreline suggested a straightforward outing for Sindhu, she said the opening match was important for another reason – understanding the conditions and the shuttle.
“The conditions are pretty good, is what I feel. Irrespective of however the match was, whether it was easy or, you know, easy scoring, easy scores, I think it was important to go out there and see the court conditions and know how the shuttle is,” she said.
“And I really liked them. They’re really good.”
For an experienced player like Sindhu, the first match of a major championship can still bring some uncertainty, particularly when playing in unfamiliar conditions.
‘First time you’re getting onto the court, you don’t know how the conditions are’. Sindhu acknowledged that opening-match nerves can affect even experienced athletes.
“Definitely that does happen to a lot of athletes, including me, where, you know, the first time you’re getting onto the court, you don’t know how the conditions are, you’re a bit jittery, you make a lot more mistakes, and then slowly, you get used to it,” she said.
But Sindhu felt she handled those initial nerves well against Noble. “I think today I started off well. I started off with a big lead. Even though I was giving two, three points here and there, I still could maintain that lead,” she said.
“So, I think it was a good start for me, and I was comfortable throughout. So that was good.”
‘Pressure is everywhere’
Sindhu is aiming to add another medal to her remarkable World Championships record, having already won five, including gold in 2019.
With the event being held in India, the expectations surrounding her have inevitably increased. But Sindhu insisted that pressure is part and parcel of elite sport.
“Yeah, I mean, there are expectations, and I would not deny that. There is a pressure as well; I won’t deny that as well,” she said.
“But I think pressure is everywhere. It’s not just that I’m playing here and, you know, that is more pressure. No. I think pressure is everywhere. In different countries, we play with different athletes, the pressure is always there.”
However, she sees the expectations surrounding her sixth-medal pursuit in a positive light.
“But I think here, it’s definitely a privilege. People talking about getting another medal, or, you know, how do I think that if I get another medal, I think that itself is a privilege for me,” Sindhu said.
“That, you know what, okay, she’s still chasing her dreams to, you know, progress and get that other medal. So that is definitely a privilege for me.”
Sindhu explains the second-game stutter
The second game was not quite as straightforward as the first, with Noble managing to stay closer to Sindhu in the early stages. She admitted that some of her attacking shots were going slightly wide, but said the second game also gave her an opportunity to experiment with her game.
“Sometimes, you know, it was going out, like, a little bit sidewards, but I think I could manage that,” she said.
“It was like, until 10 points, she came close, like seven-eight points, and then after 11 points, of course, my coach was like, you know, maybe play a bit differently or something like that.”
Sindhu said she had been trying some of her drops and half-smashes during the first half of the second game.
“I think after that, it was pretty smooth. But in the second half, I think the first half of the second game, I was trying a bit of my drops or half-smashes, which were going a little bit out,” she said.
“But I mean, it’s fine to try them out. That is the time you try new things, you know, when you’re leading.”
A winning start for Sindhu at home
The 21-7, 21-11 victory over Noble gave Sindhu the ideal start to her campaign on home soil. More importantly, the opening match allowed the former world champion to settle into the conditions, experience the atmosphere and shake off the inevitable nerves that come with beginning another World Championships campaign.