New Delhi, 16 August (H.S.): Buoyed by the confidence gained from her Japan Open triumph and backed by the home crowd, former world champion PV Sindhu will begin her campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Monday.

A five-time World Championships medallist, Sindhu is determined to end a seven-year wait and add another medal to her impressive record at the prestigious tournament.

Sindhu, who became world champion in 2019, said her recent Japan Open victory had given her a significant confidence boost ahead of the World Championships.

Speaking at a press conference at the Indira Gandhi Stadium on Sunday, Sindhu said, “This victory has definitely given me a lot of confidence, and I am eagerly looking forward to the World Championships. Since it is being held in India, I am extremely excited about it. Winning the Japan Open has given me a major boost in confidence.”

Sindhu won the World Championships gold medal in 2019. Before that, she claimed bronze medals in 2013 and 2014 and silver medals in 2017 and 2018. With five World Championships medals to her name, she has equalled the record for the most medals won at the event. Winning another medal on home soil would therefore be a particularly significant achievement for the Indian shuttler.

However, Sindhu said she was not looking too far ahead and would prefer to approach the tournament one match at a time.

“I won the World Championships in 2019, and it has been nearly seven years since then. So, I hope I can carry the confidence I gained from the Japan Open into this tournament as well. I want to perform well and I am excited because everything is going well at the moment. For me, it has always been important to focus on one match at a time,” she said.

Sindhu also spoke about the advantage of playing in front of Indian supporters and expressed her happiness at getting the opportunity to compete at a World Championships on home soil.

“We are going to receive tremendous support from the Indian fans, and I am very happy that the World Championships are being held in India and that I have the opportunity to play in front of my home crowd. There will certainly be a lot of support, and I hope I can win a medal here as well,” she said.

Sindhu returns to the same event 17 years later as a competitor

Sindhu also recalled her memories of the last time India hosted the World Championships in 2009, when she attended the tournament as a young child to watch the matches. Seventeen years later, she is returning to the same prestigious event as one of India’s most accomplished badminton players.

“I was a very young girl at the time. I used to come and watch matches from morning until evening. We would simply play around and watch the matches. We got the opportunity to see many of the top players. We watched them, but at that age, we did not understand how significant and important the event was,” she recalled.

Looking back at that experience, Sindhu said she now appreciates the opportunity she had to witness some of the world’s best players and experience the atmosphere surrounding the tournament.

“Now, when I look back, I realise that I had the opportunity to watch the best players and experience the best atmosphere. Today, nearly 17 years later, I am playing at the World Championships in India. The entire journey from then to now has been extremely memorable. It is always special to have this competition in India, and this time I hope I can win a medal on home soil,” she said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar