Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu is hoping to make a comeback at the season-ending World Tour Finals in December after being forced to take a long break from the international circuit due to an ankle injury.
One of the fittest sportsperson in the circuit, Sindhu had suffered a stress fracture on her left foot on way to her maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham in August.
"To take it (break) positively, I think this is the only time I would get a break because next year is going to be a hectic one with tournaments lined up one after another," Sindhu, who is the ambassador of the Brave together campaign, told PTI.
"But on the negative side, I would say it’s unfortunate that I am taking a break. But it’s important because you have to take care of your body and make sure you’re completely fit and fine, you will have to maintain yourself to cope up with that level of play," she added.
"It’s important to recover soon and address it in a way that you are, stronger than ever. It’s getting better and hopefully, I’ll be starting in December.” Sindhu will miss the next two BWF World Tour Super 750 events — Denmark Open (Oct 18-23) and French Open (Oct 25 to 30) this month.
The World Tour Finals are scheduled in Guangzhou, China from December 14 to 18.
Asked if that’s the target now, Sindhu said: "Yeah, definitely. I am not playing Denmark and Paris. But hopefully, I mean, if I’m there then defintely yeah…" Sindhu was part of a panel discussion in Mumbai on 'Bridging Gaps In Mental Health Accessible', launched by Maybelline New York in partnership with NGO Sangath.
The 27-year-old from Hyderabad said mental health of sports persons is being ignored and it is important to talk about it.
"Everybody feels it, there are phases where, you know, you play matches and you lose and you feel sad about it and you don’t know what to do about it," she said.
"It is okay at times, to feel upset, it is okay that you’re feeling depressed. I mean few people take a step back thinking that there’s something wrong in it. But there is nothing wrong," she continued. "It shows that people who are playing, are not super strong."
Former India skipper Virat Kohli, four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan and decorated gymnast Simon Biles from USA are some of the star athletes who have been candid about their struggles with mental health.
"This kind of talk (about mental health) is important. So when Simon Biles or (Noami) Osaka or Virat (Kohli) talks about it, it is okay because that is how they feel right? It’s something personal and also about mental health which is being ignored," Sindhu said.
"In pursuit of success, happiness, and fame, we often think talking of mental health will be frowned upon or will slow us down. Therefore, talking about mental health is still taboo and pushes a lot of struggling people behind the curtains."
"It is very important for every individual to get the help they need without being shamed for it."
Asked if she has ever reached a breaking point in her career, Sindhu said: "Everybody has a low point, where you lose and you think why did I lose but I think at the end of the day, you win some and you lose. It’s very important to bounce back stronger."
"When I lose, maybe I’m sad but I just try to let go what has happened and focus on the next one. I go back and learn from my mistakes and I make sure I don’t repeat those mistakes again."
"But I really haven’t felt like that, luckily, because people around me, they always motivated me and kept me in the space of positivity," she signed off.
