We had great sporting performances in 2023. R Praggnanandhaa making the World Chess final, Virat Kohli making a strong comeback to form and scoring 750 runs in the World Cup, HS Prannoy winning his first Super Series title, Neeraj Chopra winning the World Championship and Asian Games golds, Kishore Jena making the Olympics cut and winning the Asian Games silver to name a few. But as we look back at what has been a breakthrough year, we at RevSportz decided to pick Chirag Shetty and SatwikSairaj Rankireddy as our male athletes of the year 2023. Understandably elated when we mentioned it to them, Satwik and Chirag spoke about the year gone by and how they are already looking ahead to key events in 2024, including the Paris Olympics.
Boria: Many congratulations on being our unanimous choice for male athletes of the year. When we look back, it has been a year of way more highs then reverses.
Chirag: It is a serious honour and privilege to be RevSportz’ athletes of the year. You all cover Olympic sports with tremendous commitment and passion, and this award means a lot to Satwik and me and is a kind of vindication for the hard work we have put in. Yes, it has not been the perfect year – in sport, it never can be, but to win 5 out of 6 finals and the Asian Games gold, it has indeed been our best year on the circuit.
Boria: Satwik, you both are now India’s poster boys. And in 2024, we have the Olympics. There are still some t:ournaments that you have not won, like the All England. How are you looking at 2024?
Satwik We take it step by step by step. Yes, we are aware we haven’t yet won certain tournaments and the Olympics are always something you chase. But it is important to stay in the present and take it step by step. That’s what we have done this year, and in doing so, we had success. That’s how we will go about 2024. For us, there is no festive season. Festival is only when you win tournaments (laughs).
Also Read: 2024 Could See Satwik and Chirag Take Final, Decisive Step
Boria: It is also about evolution. Now that you have been playing with each other for six years, tell me how you both have evolved as a pair.
Satwik: We have come to know each other better and better, and there is a huge amount of trust. It is not just on court but off court as well. We are now closest to each other. We speak about family, our likes and dislikes and confide in each other. We have that comfort. If I am insecure about something, I have the confidence of going to Shetty bhai and saying it. If I am not playing well on a day, I know Shetty bhai is there to handle things and take control. We are always there for each other, and that’s what has helped us grow as a pair year on year. On court, we take inspiration from the Indonesian pair of Ahsan and Satiawan and have learnt how they bring forth their A-game on points that matter. That’s what we have tried to do over time.
Chirag: From the very first day we played together to now, it has been a process of consistent improvement. While we did not want to play together at the start and lost our first few matches, once our coach said to us that he had faith we could do well, it has been a consistent journey. We broke into the top 50 in 2018 and then into the top 16 in 2019, top 10 in 2020 and then top 5 last year. Finally, we rose to the No. 1 position this year. We know that there are very few pairs that can beat us if we play to our 100 percent or near 100 percent, and in 2024 the aim is to do so consistently in key tournaments.
Also Read: Never-say-die Satwik and Chirag illustrate the true beauty of sport
Boria: Yes, but then I can’t not ask about the Olympics.
Chirag: I would be lying if I said we aren’t thinking of the Olympics. We think of it every single day. It is and always will be the ultimate dream, and we will do all we can to achieve that dream. Having said that, we know that things can change very quickly. We lost in the first round of the China Open and then won the Asian Games gold within two weeks. We lost in the first round in Malaysia and played our worst before we went on to win our first Super 1000 in the very next week. So things change very quickly and we need to know it. Having said that, the Olympics is always the ultimate dream.
Satwik: We now have the confidence and know that we can play the big points well. That’s when we need to back each other the most, and that’s how you win big tournaments. At 19-19,,for example, I know what Shetty bhai will do. In such situations, we don’t do anything fancy but follow a tried-and-tested routine of what works. That’s what we will do on the biggest stages of all,,and we both believe that we have the game to take on any team on a given day. With Boe and Gopi Sir at the back, we know we also have support. We just need to play to potential and the rest will take care of itself.
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