Gopichand enjoys role reversal
New Delhi   22-Mar-2008
How a national coach feels when he faces an opponent, he commands during practice. "Its funny", says Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, who led the IndianOil team in the 29th Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) badminton tournament in New Delhi. "It is a funny feeling," the former national champion said. "This would be my last appearance as a player on any court my sponsors are recruiting new players next year and they will lead the team," he added. Being a coach and being a player are two different things. But Gopichand feels a coach's job is easier, "Coaching is easier. You sit outside the court, observe the players and tell them about their game later. It is easy to motivate them. But, as a player, you are on the court and have to focus on your own game. Everybody is watching your performance so it makes your job difficult," the coach said. However, the former All England champion still loves to play and feels that being player is more enjoyable than sitting outside. "Somebody told me that being a player, you could enjoy more than being a coach. I have the same thoughts. I consider coaching as the second best job," he stated. After winning the nationals in 1989, Gopichand gained experience all over the world and was considered a hero when Indian badminton was going through a rough patch in the 90's. Now as a coach, he knows what a player wants. "When I won the All England Open, I was 27, which was pretty late. Because my three injuries kept me back. As a coach, I don't want any player to suffer the way I did," he said. Speaking about the future of Indian badminton, Gopi said, "We have the potential. Players like Anup Sridhar, Chetan Anand, P Kashyap, and Arvind Bhat are doing very well. But it's not just about the potential; it's how far you push yourself. There must be an aggression that 'I want to be No 1'. And it needs lot of hard work." Gopichand also stressed on the importance of the foreign coaches, as he believes that modern badminton is changing. He informed that three new foreign coaches Indonesia’s Hadi Sugiyanto, Jainhao Yu and Yiying Chen of China would join him very soon. "I am working on players' strengths and their fitness level. I want that players should not break down," he stated. And Gopichand wants the players to step up too. "Some players are very happy with their performance. They don't want to go up in rankings, hardly join camps and play few tourneys. This is not right," he concluded.