In modern-day sports, ‘workload management’ has become a trending topic. Across disciplines, athletes face packed calendars with several tournaments every year, making it essential to manage their bodies to stay fit and available.
India’s star badminton pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, recently secured their second bronze medal at the World Championships. In an exclusive chat with RevSportz, Chirag spoke about how the duo balances injuries and scheduling.
For them, the priority is clear — quality over quantity.
“It’s a genuine and real concern. Only those who play and know the demands of the sport know how hard it is to keep your body fit week in, week out. For us, it’s quality over quantity. I’d rather play fewer tournaments and win more titles, than play 20 and not win any. With the injuries we’ve had, managing workload is crucial now. That’s our goal right now. If we can keep our bodies healthy, we know we’ll stay at the top,” he said.
Over the past few years, the pair has missed several key tournaments due to injuries. This includes the BWF World Tour Finals 2021 (knee pain), the New Zealand and Australian Opens in 2022 (groin injury), the 2023 India Open (hip adductor/groin), the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships (shoulder), and the 2025 Sudirman Cup (illness/injury).
Chirag underlined that their immediate focus is simply on avoiding such setbacks.
“First, staying injury-free. The past year we’ve missed many tournaments. I have never had a phase where I was out for two-three months at one go. For me, it was quite difficult to come back after the back injury. So, the first aim is to keep ourselves injury free,” he added.
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