‘Belief’ is arguably the most important trait for an athlete looking to break out of a rut. It was this same belief that helped PV Sindhu bounce back to win her first major title in two years, becoming the first-ever Indian to claim the Japan Open 2026. While hours of training, diet, and discipline were fundamental to her victorious campaign, a ‘cryptic remark’ from Virat Kohli also unlocked a new dimension to Sindhu’s game, prompting her to delve deeper in her pursuit of glory. Struggling for form and searching for answers, Sindhu approached Kohli to ask how he had coped during the period when he was trying to end his long wait for an elusive century. The answer from the Indian cricket icon was simple: he had focused on rediscovering the joy of scoring runs.
After being advised to take a three-month break by her doctor following a snapped toe ligament, Sindhu was taken to Atlanta by her husband, Venkata Datta Sai. Knowing she needed a mental break amidst the threat of burnout and growing questions over her form, Datta felt it was crucial to remind her of Kohli’s advice: the joy of playing badminton needed to be rebuilt from scratch.
“We had to rebuild her joy,” Datta said in an interview with the Indian Express. “Virat’s words kept ringing in my head. At Atlanta’s Exos Sports Performance facility, she trained with three excellent trainers-Wayne, Tim, and Rayan. My sister would drive her to the facility every day for three weeks for rehab and strengthening. We rekindled her love for the game in a family environment where she wasn’t a star, just a regular person.”
Sindhu’s resurgence was built on stability, with every member of her 13-person team playing a crucial role. Datta revealed that everyone was moved to tears when Sindhu defeated Akane Yamaguchi in the final to claim the Japan Open title.
Sports science also played a key role in her return to top form, as Datta explained: “After the Paris Olympics, we pulled data that revealed two key issues. Her attacking mindset had dipped, and she was having to rely on a second, third, or fourth attack in a rally to win points against top players, which increased her risk of errors. Furthermore, while she used to make only two line judgements per match earlier, that number had risen to six-it was simply too high. She was ‘hoping’ to get easy points,” Datta recalled.
Diet was another critical factor. On the advice of her coaching staff, Sindhu lost 3.5 kg ahead of the Japan Open. Chicken was a staple for protein, though she was rewarded with ice cream following her triumph in Tokyo.
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