Keep it simple, Gopichand tells Badminton World Federation

Dubai - Gopichand praised the organisers of the Premier Badminton League for giving Indian youngsters a chance to rub shoulders with the very players in the world

Pullela Gopichand, the man behind India's rise as global force in world badminton, is worried about the well-being of players in the long run, especially after the Badminton World Federation made it mandatory for the top-ranked players to feature in at least 12 tournaments in a calendar year. 
"There is Malaysia from January 15 to 21, Indonesia from 23 to 28 and then India Open from Jan 30 to Feb 4 and then the Asian Badminton Championships and then the All England and before that you have tournaments like the Swiss, Spain and German and it is like almost on the trot," Gopichand, the chief coach of the Indian badminton team, told reporters at a promotional event for India's Premier Badminton League in Dubai.
In a year cramped with tournaments in different parts of the world, Gopichand, who famously won the All England Badminton Championships in 2001, believes players will have no time to work on their game if they discover a flaw in their technique.  
"If you have a problem in the beginning of the season, there is no time for you to take a break and solve the problem with your coach," Gopichand said. 
"Every morning on the tour is a morning to improve your game, look at physical issue and technical issues and you have to iron out options on the road, there is no option, with the BWF scheduling, of taking a break and getting physically and mentally up there."
Player burnout could become a serious issue in badminton, but it's a reality that today's stars have to live with.  
"The way I would look at it (burnout) is not to look at it because we don't have an option," Gopichand said.
"I think let us not even go that route and instead focus on how do you keep players going as there is no option of slowing down."
Only ranking points earn you spots in the biggest events like the Olympics and the World Championships. 
Gopichand believes players will be forced to punish themselves travelling around the world looking for precious points unless there is a change in the system.   
"If you say that those who reach the Asian Games final get entry into the Olympics, or if you win a BWF Super Series, that is good enough to qualify. Then you are done and you don't have to play anymore. It makes things so much simpler. People from countries that are smaller or poorer than India, it is such a big strain," he said. 
Gopichand then praised the organisers of the Premier Badminton League for giving Indian youngsters a chance to rub shoulders with the very players in the world.
Impressive performances at the PBL inspired Indian doubles specialist Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and singles star HS Prannoy, the current world number 10, to make a mark at the world game. 
"Sathwik is a classic example of how things changed in a PBL season itself. A league can have a huge transformation in a player. There are many players who should take such opportunities and push their points," Gopichand said. 
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com