Satwik is definitely an inspiring name to look after

September 5, 2012 is the memorable day for Satwik Sairaj, as it is the day when he joined Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy and started his journey in the sport. The 17-year-old is one of the top ranked Indian men in the men’s doubles category with Chirag Shetty.

The youngster has been outstanding since his days where he stood in nineties exactly a year ago. Today he is the only player to be retained by the Hyderabad Hunters before the Premier Badminton League 3 auctions began.

With Chirag, he reached quarter finals of French Open and Korea Open. They beat many top-10 players in both the tournaments, including the No 6 pair of Mads Conrad-Petersen and Mads Kolding at the French Open. “It has been a great year. The two quarterfinal appearances and the World Championship qualification have really uplifted our confidence,” Satwik Sairaj.

Talking about the changes in his game he said: “No, not really. Helped by our coach Kim Tan Her, I have been able to read the situations in the game pretty well. Over the last one year, I developed the ability to read the opponents too.”

The young lad was nominated by the  BWF Annual Awards nomination for the Most Promising Player of the Year; one of the five nominees included fast-rising women’s singles player from China, Chen Yufie. He said, “I was delighted to hear the news that I had been nominated. Friends called to congratulate me. It was just great.”

With the Premier Badminton League starting from December 23, Satwik Sairaj remarked, “It actually gives me confidence. To know that some of the best players have been retained, is definitely a confidence-booster.”

Extending his portfolio into the mixed doubles with partnering with Ashwini Ponnappa, he has jumped up around 1,400 places in the last six months in the BWF rankings and ranked number 73 in the world.

Satwik Sairaj is definitely the promising shuttler in doubles in this long awaited doubles in the country.