Gargi Raut
India’s most successful doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had a turbulent few months, battling with injuries and personal losses. The duo never withdrew from a tournament, but following Satwik’s battle with chickenpox and Chirag’s recurring back injury, they had to concede their match at the All England and had played no part in the Sudirman Cup 2025, where Indian shuttlers had a below-par outing.
“We never really had to withdraw from a tournament,” said Chirag in an exclusive chat to RevSportz earlier. “But this time, when it happened at the All England, it was quite severe. I had an annular tear. So, I had to take it easy. We were expecting to come back at the Sudirman Cup, but the pain hadn’t subsided. So, the doctors and the physios had asked me to go slower and not rush into action. There was a possibility of the injury aggravating.”
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news
All eyes are now again on India’s favourite pair. As reported by RevSportz earlier, the duo are set to return to court at the Singapore Open starting May 27, and are also likely to feature in the Indonesia Open, scheduled to start on June 3.
National badminton coach, Pullela Gopichand, in an exclusive conversation, gave an update on the duo’s path to recovery. “It is good that they’ll be starting off with the Singapore Open,” said Gopichand. “They’ve had a break, but I’m sure they’ll be back on track very quickly.”
Satwik and Chirag are training at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad under Tan Kim Her, the doubles coach. “Tan Kim her has been working with them and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they regain their confidence and performance,” said Gopichand.
The pair were also positive about their comeback despite going through one of the worst phases of their careers. “It’s just a matter of time,” reflected Satwik. “It’s pretty clear as well. We just want to get back on court. There’s no goals for us. We want to get back 100% fitness. And we want to play some good badminton for a few months without any breaks.
“We have been on and off, on and off, on and off for almost one year. After the Olympics, we have been playing with a few injuries here and there. But I think we are on the right track now. It’s just a matter of time. Once we get back on court, I think we know what we can do. We can recall all our memories, how we used to play. But right now, our goal is to get back to fitness and play some good badminton.”