When Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended their title drought at the Singapore Open, the first thing to focus on was their tactical adjustments, strokes, and the quality of their shot-making while defending and attacking in the final. Yet for Satwik, the biggest weapon they had wasn't technical. It was mental.
The Indian duo were put under pressure after narrowly losing the opening game 18-21. Sometimes these moments prove to be turning points in finals. A missed opportunity to take the lead can lead to more errors, self-doubt and rushed decisions. But Satwik and Chirag took a different route.
Accepting the possibility of defeat without letting it affect their performance was key. 'There was a little bit more confidence, like it's fine, we will accept if we lose. But we will give our everything and lose. The attitude was pretty much calm. It is okay, we will lose as champions,' said Satwik.
The confidence didn't emerge in isolation. It was built and harnessed through preparation. 'So even if we are down somewhere, then in the second game also we wanted to give a fightback. We have fought all the way from the first match itself. We were down in most of our matches. In the quarterfinals, we were down 8-3 in the second game after losing, then we came back from that. Even with the Koreans serving in the semifinals, we were down 17-13 something, from there we won.'
The pair looked rusty in the opening game, and the Indonesian pair took advantage to close it out in 21 minutes. But in the second game, Satwik-Chirag responded with greater aggression. They raced to a 2-0 lead and had an 11-8 advantage in the interval. Then, after the restart, the lead stretched to 14-8. The Indonesians reduced the gap to 20-17, and Satwik-Chirag eventually sealed the game after 24 minutes.
Body language is essential in sports. Legends from different sports have stated that maintaining a confident body language helps in the psychological battle with opponents. So instead of projecting anxiety, they reflected belief. In elite sports, opponents can spot uncertainty. But Satwik and Chirag didn't offer that opening, and as the match progressed, the psychological battle also shifted in their favour.
Their fightback wasn't successful because they found a magical new strategy after the first game. They won because they remained calm, trusted the process and their preparation, believing they could fight back no matter the scoreline.
