- Tuesday, May 27, 2025
The 32-year-old charted a long road back from injuries and missed opportunities and made it to his first BWF World Tour final in six years
By: India Weekly
KIDAMBI SRIKANTH’S remarkable campaign at Malaysia Masters Super in Kuala Lumpur ended with a defeat in the men’s singles final to world No. 4 Li Shi Feng of China on Sunday (25).
The 32-year-old, former world No. 1, charted a long road back from injuries and missed opportunities through sheer grit and made it to his first BWF World Tour final in six years.
The Andhra Pradesh shuttler was erratic and struggled to break through the second-seeded Li’s solid defence and was unable to convert openings, eventually losing 11-21 9-21 in 36 minutes.
“It has been a pretty good week. It’s my third tournament, played decently well in the first two as well, but couldn’t really win those matches. But pretty happy with the way it went so far. Not exactly the way I wanted to be today,” Srikanth said.
“I’m just very happy to be back playing again. I just want to keep myself happy. There was a point in my career where I was pretty used to being standing there, and then it’s been a while. So to be back again on the podium really feels special.”
Despite the loss, it was an inspirational show from Srikanth, who, after slipping to world No. 82 earlier this month, showed his class to remind the world of his calibre.
In recent years, chronic injuries — shoulder, knee, adductor, Achilles — hampered his training. At one point, he could only manage shadow practice and underarm strokes.
Still, Srikanth didn’t shut down.
“He has not sat down for 3-4 or 5 weeks this year. He was able to play and train, though he wasn’t getting entries into the bigger events,” said his coach RMV Gurusaidutt.
But the real change came in his mindset. Over the past four months, Srikanth showed up every day — tired or not.
“Morning sessions, evening gym, cardio — he was there. That’s the improvement we wanted,” Guru said.
What stood out in Malaysia was the subtle transformation in his playing style. The outright attack-heavy game has evolved into an all-round, balanced approach.
In the past, Srikanth would often try to finish rallies too early. But now, he builds them like a strategist.
