Ayush Shetty was still waiting eagerly to board a flight on Tuesday from Ningbo, China, to share the joy of winning the silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships with his near and dear ones back home.
Ayush, who was put to the sword by a dominant Shi Yu Qi in the men’s singles final on Sunday, on a virtual interaction with reporters on Monday, said the final was a “lesson learnt”.
The 20-year-old was the only Indian finalist in 61 years in men’s singles in this tournament and he earned the first silver for the nation.
Inspired by players like Lee Chong-wei, who was his “first role model”, and Viktor Axelsen and Kidambi Srikanth, Ayush revealed that he always wanted to be one of the best players in the world.
“I always wanted to be one of the best players in the world. That is my dream.
“Now, I believe I can be among the top players. I really want to be the best. I know I have to put in a lot of work and keep on improving,” he said.
Asked how he manages to play well against big names, he said: “I love playing against the best in the world. That gives me confidence. I enjoy playing them and that help me to give my best.”
So what went wrong in the final against Shi?
“He didn’t give me a chance to dominate at the net. I could not create an attacking play. I need to be more patient and play longer rallies,” Ayush said.
Ayush, who got to the final after a series of upset wins over players like Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Jonatan Christie and Li Shi Feng, found himself overwhelmed by Shi when it mattered most.
“In the final, he didn’t give me much chance to attack. He kept his length perfect. He didn’t give me a chance to dominate at the net. He was pushing the pace and really not giving me any chance at the net. I need to be more patient and play longer rallies,” he added.
“It was a tough loss. Definitely, I wanted to end on a high note, really wanted to win it. But again, it’s a great learning experience for me, the way Shi played. He didn’t allow me to come back in the game.
“But looking back at this tournament, I’m proud the way I played throughout. I’m really happy with the way I played. But yes, it was a good lesson for me in the final.”
Ayush has been training with PV Sindhu’s coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama of Indonesia.
“It’s just been two weeks since I’ve started training with him. But with Irwansyah, the sessions are a bit longer than before. I’m spending a lot more time on court.
“The sessions are longer and tougher... a bit more exhausting. I have also been training with Sindhu,” he added.