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  The rising star is being coached by veteran Pullela Gopichand; (below) Sindhu is slowly and steadily making her way right to the top

  

The Chinese rule the world of badminton, but there are two players they fear above all others. The first is our homegrown champ, Saina Nehwal, and the second is also homegrown — the sensational teenager P.V. Sindhu, whose lanky 5ft-11 frame towers above others on the court.

Sindhu, who has risen swiftly, is now the world No. 9 shuttler. She smashed her way into the big time after becoming the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal at the World Badminton Championships last year — she packed off two Chinese heavyweights in their own backyard to clinch the medal. Her first international victory, in fact, came against a London Olympic gold medallist, Li Xuerui from China, when she stormed into the semi-finals of the China Masters in 2012.

'The Chinese are fierce competitors and so taking them down is a nice feeling. Since I have defeated them quite a few times, it has really boosted my confidence levels,' says the tall shuttler.

Sindhu has clearly made an indelible impression on the Chinese. Li Ning, a Chinese badminton equipment manufacturer, has just offered the lanky Hyderabadi the most lucrative deal of her lifetime by signing her on for a two-year, million-dollar deal. 'There's no doubt that this is one of the biggest deals in this discipline and a huge one for her,' says Pullela Gopichand, her coach and mentor, as he watches her go through the paces from the sidelines at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad. 'But she's not interested in the nitty-gritty of the contract. All she wants is to reach the top,' he adds.

It isn't difficult to spot Sindhu, who is training hard at the academy. At 5ft 11-in, she literally towers over most other players at the academy. Sindhu's hunger for success reflects in her strokes. Nimble-footed, she lunges quickly at the net and goes for powerful smashes from the back of the court with ease.

Last year was a fruitful one for the teen sensation. Sindhu not only lifted her maiden Grand Prix Gold title in Malaysia but also shone bright in Macau when she clinched the coveted Macau Open Grand Prix Gold. She added another feather to her cap when she received the Arjuna Award last December.

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  The youngster loves driving the black Maruti Swift gifted to her by cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar after her Asian Youth Under-19 Championships win; (below) Sindhu's parents watch over her carefully and make sure she sticks to a tough regimen

  

The sport's top experts have been quick to hail her as the next big thing after Saina Nehwal. 'I think her main advantage is quick footwork and her powerful smashes,' says Madhumita Bisht, a former Olympian. 'Her height is also an advantage in the sense that it makes her ground coverage outstanding apart from the long rallies that she manages to pull off. She's the player to watch in the near future,' adds Bisht.

But Sindhu thinks that it is her patience that she needs to work on. 'I lose my cool easily and in the process lose my nerve. I need to get a grip on that,' smiles the teenager.

'Sindhu is a very aggressive player when it comes to her style of play, but not many know that she's extremely emotional as well,' says Gopichand who has been coaching her for 10 years.

'I remember scolding her during matches. She would cry her eyes out,' says Gopichand. 'Sometimes I would raid her room and ensure that her laptop was not on like I do with all the kids. But I had to constantly remind myself that she is a kid after all,' he says smiling.

That she was champion material was apparent right from her early years on the court. 'Earlier we used to live in Secunderabad in Hyderabad, which is about 30km from the academy in Gachibowli,' says P.V. Ramana, her father, a former volleyball player and an Arjuna awardee. 'For three-and-a-half years, I used to take her twice a day — early morning and evening — for practice sessions,' he adds.

By her own admission, Sindhu wouldn't have been where she is today if it weren't for her parents who always stood by her. But looking back she recalls that when the gruelling travel to the academy became far too exhausting, her parents enrolled her at the Academy hostel for two years.

'After a while, she started feeling lonely and that reflected in her game,' Gopichand recalls, who then asked her parents to move close to the academy in 2012. 'Also, once children retire to the dormitory one can never be too sure of whether they are sleeping properly or eating well. I was especially concerned for Sindhu and I thought it was imperative for her parents to be close to her.'

Sindhu's routine has been pretty much the same over the last few years. A typical day starts at sharp 3.30am. She leaves for the academy to attend an exclusive session with Gopichand at 4.30am. 'Sindhu has been a priority for me for the last four years now. So, I begin my day with an hour-long session with her which has worked very well,' says Gopichand. This is followed by two training sessions from 7am to 8.30am and 11am to 1pm. Her regimen also entails a fitness and weight training session from 3pm to 4pm, which is followed by a practice session from 5pm to 6.30pm.

'The best thing about her is that she never complains,' says Gopichand. 'There were times when she attended more extra sessions than anybody else and she has always been ready for more,' he adds.

Sindhu's father accompanies her for the morning sessions and observes her intently from the observation deck on the first floor. 'I've been a sportsperson so I know the intricacies of the game. I see to it that Sindhu executes her strokes to perfection,' he says.

And now, to lessen her parents' burden, Sindhu has also learnt driving. 'I can't even ride a cycle so I was never sure whether I would be able to learn driving,' the shuttler says chirpily, as she takes her place behind the wheel — and cranks up the volume of the music system — to drive back home after a hard day of practice.

Her black Maruti Swift was gifted to her by cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar after her singles win at the Asian Youth Under-19 Championships in 2012. 'This car is very special to me. To be given a gift by Sachin was like living a dream,' she says, the excitement still coming through in her voice.

Of course, while Sindhu is the new rising star, she is also a regular teenager who wants to have fun. 'I'm a big foodie and love junk food, but my regimen doesn't allow me to binge,' she says.

Her father chips in saying: 'But she always has a burger at KFC whenever she's in Delhi.' He adds that Sindhu is often called upon to make small sacrifices of things she loves. 'One Sunday, Sindhu really wanted to go out but Gopi had told me to ensure that she got rest. She got a little angry so her mom made her biryani and we all stayed at home. She must give up some pleasures if she wants to make it to the top,' he says.

'So, I only eat a diet rich in protein like eggs, milk, chicken, vegetable curries and juices,' says Sindhu, gulping down a glass of pomegranate juice.

Amazingly, Sindhu doesn't surround herself with the gadgets and accoutrements that teenagers take for granted these days. She doesn't use a cellphone and she is not on social networking websites like Facebook or Twitter. 'Where is the time?' she asks. 'And since I return home everyday after practice sessions, I don't need a mobile phone either. When I feel the urge to call up my friends I use my mother's phone.'

Although she likes to go out with friends, it comes with a catch: 'My dad always accompanies me and my friends tease me about it,' says Sindhu. 'One day I even accused him of not loving me, but soon realised my mistake. My free time is spent listening to music and watching television,' she says with grudging acceptance.

When it comes to studies, Sindhu concedes that sometimes juggling between studies and sports becomes an issue. The shuttler is doing a B.Com from St Ann's College in Hyderabad and is now in her second year. 'My college is very supportive and so thankfully attendance is not a problem,' says Sindhu. 'I don't even know my classmates. I just go to write my exams and somehow manage to pass,' she says candidly.

But the young lady in Sindhu refuses to step aside as she loves to dress up and pretty herself up. 'I think I'm very image conscious. I like to dress up in ethnicwear and wear jewellery,' says a smiling Sindhu pointing at her invisible braces she has just had done. But on the courts, Sindhu is a different person — and far from the vulnerable kid you see at home. 'She's very strong and sometimes knocks the wind out of the sails of her opponents,' says Gopichand.

Johnson Solomon, her physiotherapist for the last 18 months, agrees. 'She's young, well-built, and when she's playing she goes all out,' he says. 'Since she's very tall, her opponents tend to attack her in the lower part of her body. So, her lower body is always a major concern for us,' says Solomon.

But pain is amongst her deepest fears. 'I'm scared of injuries and of pain. If I'm hurt, I cry till I drop. I once fell from the treadmill while exercising and I was in tears. But then I decided to face my biggest fear because I just love what I do,' she says, flashing a sign of the grit that has taken her places.

Now that she's only two ranks behind Nehwal, talks about the Saina-Sindhu rivalry have already started doing the rounds. But the one thing that might be set to change is that soon it may not be about Saina-versus-China as there's a teen sensation who is raring to alter the dynamics of the situation.

Gopichand says: 'It is a healthy competition, which will only help them improve. But that said, this is not a life for everybody. Sindhu has a realistic chance of winning something big in future and my instinct says that she's going to do it very soon.'

A confident Sindhu says: 'Ultimately I want to be number one in the world, but my short-term goal will be to break into the top six by the end of this year.'

Photographs by Mohammed Aleemuddin