Synopsis
Kidambi Srikanth, the former World No.1 and silver medallist, reveals his goals for the 2025 season, aiming to re-enter the Top 25 rankings and achieve success in upcoming tournaments, despite challenges faced in the previous year and recent matches.Key Takeaways
- Kidambi Srikanth aims for Top 25 rankings in 2025.
- He faced a tough season in 2024 with early exits in tournaments.
- Collaboration with Hundred aims to enhance badminton equipment.
- Importance of foreign coaches in men's singles training emphasized.
- Recent appointment of Tan Kim Her for doubles coaching.
New Delhi, Jan 22 (NationPress) Former World No.1 and world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth articulated his aspirations for the 2025 season, expressing his ambition to re-enter the Top 25 in the rankings and concentrating on excelling in the forthcoming tournaments.
Srikanth, who wed stylist Shravya Varma in Hyderabad last November, encountered a challenging season last year, missing the Olympics. During 14 tournaments in 2024, he faced first-round eliminations in six events and was ousted in the second round of three BWF competitions.
"In 2025 (my goal) would obviously be again to get back to at least the top 20-25 (in rankings) and then try and win tournaments and do the best that is possible," Srikanth, currently ranked 45th globally, shared with IANS.
The former world No.1 had a rocky start to the 2025 season, experiencing a first-round exit at the India Open, a Super 750 event, after making a late entry into the main draw due to withdrawals from top seed Shi Yuqi of China and eighth seed Anthony Ginting of Indonesia.
However, in the Indonesia Masters, which commenced on Tuesday, Srikanth faced a defeat in the qualification round against fellow Indian Ayush Shetty in straight games, failing to progress to the main draw.
Recently, the Badminton Association of India appointed Malaysian doubles expert Tan Kim Her to work with the national team. In the men's singles category, top Indian players like Parupalli Kashyap and RMV Gurusaidutt have transitioned to full-time coaching over the past three years, mentoring leading men's singles players such as HS Prannoy, Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat.
Regarding the significance of having international coaches in the national framework, Srikanth, who engaged Indonesia’s Wiempie Mahardi as his personal coach in 2023, noted, "Currently, there are no foreign coaches for men's singles. There's only one coach that has come in, Tan Kim Her for doubles, but if a foreign coach joins for men's singles and is stationed at the National Center in Hyderabad, I think it would greatly benefit many players. We will have to wait and see when that occurs."
Recently, Hundred, a prominent global performance-driven sports brand, announced its collaboration with Kidambi, a Padma Shri Awardee. This partnership signifies a crucial milestone in the brand’s effort to solidify its footprint in the Indian badminton arena.
The collaboration made its official debut at the esteemed Indonesia Masters 2025, symbolizing Hundred’s dedication to motivating and empowering the upcoming generation of badminton enthusiasts.
On his association with Hundred, Srikanth remarked, "The partnership with Hundred revolves around providing my feedback and ensuring the best equipment reaches the market through them, as they possess the expertise in producing sports gear.
"As a player, I truly appreciate how an athlete desires their equipment to be, and together, we can create superior products for badminton players. I am confident this collaboration will benefit me and many others."
