"I would want to win everything that badminton has to offer" - Chirag Shetty
Indian men's doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty, in his latest interview, has said that he is more focused on winning the big events than becoming the World No. 1. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are currently the World No. 2 in the rankings and have been consistent since their gold medal victory in the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Since then, the Indian pair has clinched several titles, including the Indonesia Open, Swiss Open, Korea Open and Asia Championships. They are also the only Indians in the top 30 in the BWF Prize money list of highest earners of 2023.
In the interview with PTI, Chirag said he wants to win every single tournament in the circuit, including the Olympics. The Indian duo had a heartbreaking result in the Tokyo Olympics, where they failed to make it to the knock-outs.
Chirag Shetty said:
"A couple of years down the line when I retire, I want to have a room filled with all the big medals that badminton has to offer. I want all the medals, whether it is the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, or the World Tour Finals, there are many tournaments that we still haven’t won, and I would want to win everything that badminton has to offer.
"What matters to me is to win at big events. No doubt world number one feels good, the rank will signify that I am quite consistent on tour and I am one of the best players in the world."
Chirag also appreciated working with 2012 London Olympics silver medallist Mathias Boe. Ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) appointed Mathias Boe to train the Indian pair. Since his appointment, the pair has become more consistent.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action in upcoming BWF World Championships
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be in action in the upcoming BWF World Championships, starting from August 21 in Denmark. The duo won the bronze medal in the last edition.
Talking about the Championships, Chirag Shetty said that the pair is taking one match at a time and knows that if they play their best, they would beat any team in the world.
He said:
"I know for a fact that if we can play anywhere close to our best badminton, then we can beat any pair in the world. And even at the World Championships next week, I think that would be our main aim: take one match at a time and see how it goes."
Chirag also mentioned that the pair is currently focusing on short-term targets - the World Championships and the Asian Games - rather than the biggest goal, the 2024 Paris Olympics.