Hopeful of doing even better in the Super 300 & 500 events: Tanvi aiming to build on current buzz
With her deceptive drop shots, potent smashes and her ability to glide around the court, the 16-year slayed some higher-ranked opponents to enter the title match of the US Open in Iowa. In the decider on Sunday, the teenager from Punjab showed guts of a fighter to stretch World No 21 (now World No 18) Beiwen Zhang, an opponent almost twice her age, but she eventually ran out of gas in the close stages to end up as runner-up in the BWF Super 300 meet. She might have missed the title by a whisker but she certainly left a giant impression on many.
Tanvi, despite the setback in the final, is level-headed and is focussing on the gains from her latest eye-catching run. "I'm thrilled, I'll get plenty of experience from this event. After the final got over, even Zhang also said, 'keep going, you can do it'," she told this daily from Iowa.
A trainee at the National Centres of Excellence (NCoE) in Guwahati, Tanvi had been making gradual progress even before her US Open run under the guidance of Park Tae Sang, who had a hand in Sindhu capturing her second Olympic medal in 2021.
"After I joined the NCoE, I have gained sharpness and my endurance has also increased a little bit, but I still have to improve on that aspect. My mental aspect of the game has also become a bit stronger while training under coach (Park)," Tanvi, who jumped to top-50 in the world rankings, said.
At this stage of her career, it's more about understanding the finer aspects of the craft at the elite level. She's hopeful of becoming more sharper as she looks ahead. "When I face higher-ranked opponents, I do become nervous once in a while as their game tends to be a lot sharper. But I do get good experience facing them. I just tell myself that I need to give my best. Whatever happens we shall see, but I just need to give my 100 per cent."
Park is mindful that she's just 16 but is honest in his assessment about the missing bits in her game. He is hopeful that she can eliminate her 'mistakes', something he felt cost her the final, and build on her strengths. "Her deception drop shots and her smashes are very good but she still makes quite a few mistakes sometimes. So she will need more training to refine those skills and make them more precious and consistent," he assessed. "She is still young of course. But there's no consistency. So we'll go back and continue to train hard and we'll also improve her on-court endurance also."
It's still early days but there's certainly genuine buzz surrounding her name. Park has likened her attacking game to that of Sindhu's while noted commentator Gill Clark, who's known as the voice of badminton, has seen shades of Saina in the manner she operates inside the court. "It's interesting that India's singles coach Park Tae-sang said he can "see glimpses of Sindhu in her" style of game... But I'm curious, does anyone else see a striking resemblance between Tanvi Sharma and another wonderful Indian women's singles player, a certain Saina Nehwal?," Clark posted on Instagram.
Tanvi, who was part of the Indian squad that won the gold medal at the 2024 Asia Team Championships and was also a part of the 2024 Uber Cup team, herself is a big admirer of Sindhu, someone she looks up to but she felt she said she'll look to craft her own style. "Sindhu di is a legend. I will try to play my own game. Everyone has their own unique style," she noted.
Initially inspired by her mother Meena Sharma, a former international volleyball player, and her sister Radhika Sharma, Tanvi is now eyeing a good follow-up during the upcoming World Junior Championships, which is scheduled to be held in India in October.
"As it (Worlds) is happening at the centre where I train, I will shift all my attention in order to ensure that I can do well. I'm also hopeful of doing even better in the Super 300 and Super 500 events. Whichever tournament I participate in, I want to play my best game," Tanvi, who's No 1 in world junior rankings, said.
With more matches against higher-ranked opponents, Tanvi could certainly climb the rankings further and delight the fans with her ability to manipulate the shuttle.
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