Ayush has it in him to be a top-10 player: Coach

Having turned the corner by claiming his first major international title at the US Open on Monday, Ayush Shetty has emerged as the next big thing in Indian badminton.

The Karnataka shuttler, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here, has it in him to break into the world top-10, PPBA head coach Sagar Chopda said.

“Ayush’s initial target was to be a top-25 player by the end of the year. With these kind of performances, this is definitely within his reach. In the long term, Ayush is a world top-10 player for sure. He has a very bright future,” Sagar told The Hindu on Monday.

Sagar explained that Ayush’s self-belief has built steadily in recent months, after semifinal appearances in the Taipei Open and Orleans Masters.

Ayush’s fine net game and fearless approach counts as his strengths, Sagar said. “He has a good net game and a solid smash. With a good net game, he creates a lot of openings with a good tumble. And post that, his smashes are really, really sound. While a lot of players have to develop this, Ayush always had it in him. And he’s not scared to hit. Even if he loses a point, it’s okay with him,” Sagar said.

Sagar also said Ayush must continue to work on his defensive game – a key element in combating the world’s best.

Born in Karkala, Ayush moved to Bengaluru as a pre-teen to pursue the sport seriously. He initially trained at i-SPORTS, before joining PPBA in 2021. “A lot of credit goes to (i-SPORTS Founder and Head Coach) Krishna Kumar for shaping Ayush into what he is today,” Sagar said.

The task ahead for Sagar and other coaches is to mould Ayush into a consistent world-beater. “All of us just have to keep working with him. This win is a good confidence booster for him going forward,” Sagar said.