Parupalli Aims To Be Among World's Best Shuttlers

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 (Bernama) -- Indian singles ace Kashyap Parupalli, playing in his first Thomas Cup tournament, nearly pulled off an upset against world number five, Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat here Monday.

Parupalli, with two years' experience playing for his country, was disappointed that he lost to the Indonesian and blamed the unpredictable draught in the Putra Stadium.

"My fitness was better than Taufik's as I'm used to training and keep my body fit all the time, especially when it comes to prestigious tournaments," said the 23-year-old from Hyderabad.

"It was easy for me to beat him 21-14 in the first set because the court was comfortable for me but when I moved to the other side, the draught affected my focus," he told reporters.

"I should have pushed him more to the back because he was too near the net during the second and third sets, otherwise I would have definitely defeated him today," he said.

However, the fresh graduate from Osmania University, Hyderabad, said the loss would not discourage him.

Parupalli aims to be one of the world's top ranked players.

"Right after this tournament, I want to become a full-time badminton player for India and may not continue my studies for the time being, just to concentrate on the Commonwealth Games in my country," he said.

He is also looking forward to play more in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super Series tournament in future.

On his interest in the game, Parupalli said badminton was a hobby when he was 11.

Now, that interest has become his dream to create history for India.

"All my achievements are due to my mother. She loves badminton and persuaded me to play. This is all for my mum and country," he said.

India's most illustrious shuttler was Prakash Padukone who won the All-England in the 80s.

Source from BERNAMA

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