"Gopi Sir Congratulated Me, Saina No. We Don't Talk Much, So....", Says Shuttler PV Sindhu

NEW DELHI: After winning two medals at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, ace shuttler PV Sindhu said that she received a congratulatory message from chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand but she has not got any such gesture yet from senior shuttler Saina Nehwal.

Asked if she received any communication from Gopichand and Saina after her win, Sindhu said: "Of course, Gopi sir wished me congrats. That's all. I haven't seen the social medal. I am slowly replying to everybody.

When further probed, Sindhu said: "Gopi sir messaged me, Saina no. We don't talk much, so...."

The Indian was addressing a virtual press conference a day after winning her second Olympic medal.

There were reports of a rift between Sindhu and Gopichand after she flew to London for a training stint for three months amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Notably, Sindhu became only the second Indian and first woman from the country to claim two Olympics medals, after she won a bronze in Tokyo, five years after claiming a silver at Rio Games.

In the run-up to the Olympics, Sindhu had also said that her preparations were going on well and she doesn't miss Gopichand, who eventually decided not to go to Tokyo, vacating the position for men's singles coach Agus Santoso, who was training with B Sai Praneeth.

Gopichand has not spoken about his relationship with Sindhu.

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina, on the other hand, had some fierce on-court duels with Sindhu, who has acknowledged the rivalry between them.

There was speculation of friction between the two after Saina had returned to train under Gopichand in 2017 following a successful stint with former India coach Vimal Kumar in Bangalore.

Saina, who failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games after a series of qualifiers was canceled, has not been too active in social media and of late hasn't posted any congratulatory messages for the Indian Olympic team.

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