At 12, N Srinidhi has become the pride of the neighbouhood, winning the All India Sub Junior (U-13) Ranking Badminton Tournament which took place at Guntur recently. A resident of Kovilambakkam, this is her second national title. She has won other district and State titles as well.
Srinidhi is passionate about badminton and that is evident from the number of hours she devotes to practice each day. She trains at Tejesh Sports Academy located at Raju Nagar Main Road, Puzhuthivakkam. Sporting short hair, she was busy training with her coach Aditya Elango when News Today met her for an interaction.
She won the title partnering with Pravanthika R, a player from Kanchipuram in the Under-13 Girls Doubles title. In the finals, they beat the fifth seeded pair Manali Choudhary and Pragya Katara of Rajasthan in straight sets 21 14, 21 9, said her coach.
Speaking about Srinidhi’s achievements, Aditya, who is the chief coach and program director at Tejesh Sports, said, ”She is naturally talented. She is strong for her age and highly motivated. Currently she is preparing for a tournament to be held in December.”
All that Srinidhi has on her mind is to win matches and dedicates 100 per cent to it. “I admire Tai Tzu-ying and Carolina Marin,” she said.
Like them, she too wishes to pursue badminton. “I cut my hair short after it started blocking my view while playing, she says and goes on to detail her diet comprising of eggs and protein drinks,” she added.
Her her father Narayanan, who was waiting outside the court for her training session to end, said, “Right from the age of six she was drawn to the game, she is a very confident player.”
He also went on to reveal that he himself was a district-level badminton player and has won in his university too. Srinidhi can be reached at 9790910850.