- January 13, 2025
‘The Only Way To Get Over Paris Disappointment…’: Chirag Shetty Reflects On Battling Past French Sorrow – News18
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Shetty opined that getting back to the court was the only way to put the disappointment of Paris behind him and move forward in his quest for excellence alongside doubles partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Top-rated Indian pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lead the Indian contingent’s hopes in the men’s doubles section at the India Open 2025 slated to get underway on Tuesday.
The Indian duo have reunited with coach Tan Kim Her in order to improve their game under the watchful eyes of the former Malaysian player, who had contributed immensely to the pair back during their developmental days.
“To have Tan back as our coach after 5-6 years is great. A lot of credit goes to him for our achievements. We were still youngsters when he paired us up, and it was much more directional back then. But the approach is very different now; it’s much more conversational,” Shetty said.
“We’re already established now, so we discuss what we need to do, and as a coach, he shares his opinion,” he added.
Shetty spoke about the fine margins that make the difference at the very top level and revealed that the duo have been attempting to focus on improving.
“It’s the minor changes that really matter,” he continued.
“Everybody knows how to smash, but it’s the tactical details and small improvements that we need to focus on. I think we’ll work on that with Tan, especially improving our defence, which is good but not yet the best in the world,” Shetty added.
With Tan by their side, the duo also reflected on their shock quarterfinal loss at the Paris Olympics.
Shetty and Rankireddy faced a quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics last year and the former opined that they need to fine-tune their net play to up their level further.
“He shared his thoughts on our quarterfinal loss, where he felt we fell short. It was similar to our own assessment. We should have been better at the net, especially during crucial stages. They challenged us well at the net, and that’s one area we hope to improve upon,” he added.
Shetty and Rankireddy have been one of the most consistent duos over the past couple of years, but Shetty opined that the pair isn’t happy with deep runs at events that do not convert into the top prize.
“We’ve been consistent, but in the last two tournaments, especially the China Open, we came back after a long gap, and to even reach the semifinals was unexpected. In Malaysia, we had some good wins but lost in the semifinals,” he recollected.
“Winning a tournament is always the goal when we enter, and I wouldn’t say we’re satisfied with just the semifinal finish,” he continued.
“We want to go as deep as possible in the tournament here in India,” Shetty added.
Shetty also touched upon the year ahead as the duo look to participate in more events they did than last year.
“We played very few tournaments last year, less than 10. We hope to compete in more this time around and go as deep into the tournaments as possible to secure big title wins,” Shetty said.
“The World Tour Finals is definitely one of our targets this year. There are also the World Championships, All England, and other major tournaments, and we hope to go as deep as possible in them,” the 27-year-old added.
Shetty also went on to voice how he felt that getting back to the court was the only way to put the disappointment of Paris behind him and move forward in their search for excellence.
“Going into the Olympics, I was even training on Sundays, so it was very tough. But I took a two-week break to visit my hometown and spend time with friends,” Shetty recollected.
“When I returned, I was sitting on the sofa, watching TV all day. It didn’t feel right. I knew I needed to get back to training,” he said.
“I was watching the World tour begin in two weeks, with tournaments like the Japan Open and Korea Open coming up, and I thought, ‘This is not me. I need to get back into training’.”
“The only way to get over this is by playing tournaments. Winning or losing doesn’t matter; it’s about playing and I think that sadness, that sorrow would go,” he revealed.
“There are plenty of things to achieve in the future. And there’s always one more chance. And I think we’ll go for the 2028 Olympics, and see how it goes,” the star concluded.
