Beating Vietnam’s sixth-seeded Thuy Linh Nguyen, nearly 10 years older than her, 17-year-old badminton sensation Tanvi Sharma stood motionless on the other side of the court, taking in the significance of the moment. She had just become the youngest player to win the Taipei Open Super 300 badminton tournament and, in the process, clinched her maiden Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour title.
The 17-year-old, who had finished runner-up at last year’s US Open Super 300, needed just 36 minutes to beat world No. 21 Thuy Linh 21-16, 21-16 in the summit clash.
Tanvi Sharma. Tribune photo
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to win the title. Since I had nothing much to lose, I was under no pressure to win. I just thought of giving my 100 per cent and playing my natural game. I played with the same passion, and the result is in front of everyone,” said Tanvi, who was at the Chandigarh Badminton Academy in Zirakpur to interact with young shuttlers along with her elder sister, Radhika Sharma, a national champion and international shuttler.
While interacting with the young players, Tanvi maintained that nothing is impossible if hard work is directed in the right direction.
Explaining her initial struggles, Tanvi revealed that she grew up watching her sister and witnessing the efforts put in by their mother.
“Initially, it felt like I had to do so much more hard work. But I just kept going with my sister. My mother has shown so much sacrifice and dedication right from the start. We both just believed in hard work. In life, hard work and dedication matter the most to achieve success,” she told the budding trainees at the academy.
The Chandigarh Badminton Academy felicitated Tanvi and her sister with trophies and sports kits.
“The Sharma sisters have brought rich laurels to the nation as well as to the state of Punjab. Tanvi’s recent feat is nothing less than a youngster winning a World Cup. She showcased the value of calmness and how to overcome the fear of facing a superior opponent. We wish her more success and hope she wins more tournaments to attain a top ranking in the world,” said former international coach Surinder Mahajan, one of the directors of the Chandigarh Badminton Academy.
Meanwhile, Tanvi also spoke about her idol, PV Sindhu, and how she learned to handle pressure while competing against top players.
“Sindhu didi is my idol. When she spoke about me, I got so much motivation. A fire ignited inside me to work harder and reach her level. Against top-30 players, maintaining patience until the last point is the biggest factor, which helped me lift the Taipei Open,” she said.
Discussing the infrastructure required to train budding shuttlers, Tanvi said badminton had witnessed a massive surge in popularity in recent years and that existing facilities could be upgraded to create professional training hubs.
“The sport has witnessed massive popularity in recent years owing to the performances of our senior players at the international level. This has pushed stakeholders to work at the grassroots level and provide budding shuttlers with the best facilities. In the coming years, I think every city will have a professional academy to train young players,” added the 17-year-old prodigy.
