'Badminton Has Definitely Evolved': PV Sindhu Navigates Generational Shift Of Shuttlers As She Reinvents Herself

Five weeks ago, PV Sindhu walked out of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with nothing to show for it, a quarterfinal defeat leaving her to say she was “hurting”. The team had already gone out in the quarterfinals, and Chen Yufei had ended her singles run after three games.

On Sunday, in the Saarlandhalle, the same player closed out the Hylo Open final in 39 minutes. She beat Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt 21-12, 21-14 for her second World Tour title of the season and the seventh of her career. She dropped no games all week. This is a season that began with her ranked 18th in the world, and it has now carried her into the top eight. This was how the year was meant to end for her, even if the road there was never straight.

The week was built on an earlier final. Sindhu reached the French Open final in Paris after beating Japan’s Hina Akechi in a semifinal that went three games. That semifinal lasted 73 minutes, and she won it 21-10, 20-22, 21-16.

In the final, the world No. 1 An Se Young beat her 21-16, 11-21, 12-21. It was Sindhu’s 11th consecutive defeat against the South Korean. An had a 65-1 win-loss record in 2026 going into the final, so taking a game off her was no small thing. Sindhu carried that form to Germany. She beat 19-year-old compatriot Anmol Kharb in the semifinal, winning 21-13, 21-16 in 32 minutes, and then closed out the final against Kjærsfeldt.

The title is more meaningful because of where the season started. She began the year ranked No. 18 in the world. Her first breakthrough was a semifinal at the Malaysia Open in January, where she lost to China’s Wang Zhi Yi. More early exits followed. At the Japan Open in July she ended a title drought of almost two years, beating Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17.

The good form did not last. At the World Championships in New Delhi, Wang Zhi Yi knocked her out in the pre-quarterfinals. The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya were worse. Sindhu lost her singles quarterfinal to Chen Yufei, 21-11, 18-21, 10-21, and she was playing her third match in 24 hours because of a cramped schedule.

The Indian women’s team had already lost 1-3 to Japan in the team quarterfinals, so she left without a medal. She said afterwards that she was “hurting”. She then lost her opening match at the Denmark Open to Germany’s Yvonne Li in three games. Within a few weeks she was in two straight finals.

A Career Across Generations

Sindhu’s career runs through several eras of women’s singles. Her rivalry with Carolina Marin was among the fiercest, with the Spaniard leading 12-6 overall. The two met in the 2016 Rio Olympic final, which Marin won 19-21, 21-12, 21-15. Against Tai Tzu Ying, she trailed 5-13 going into their Tokyo Olympic semifinal.

Ratchanok Intanon was another of the players who troubled Sindhu in her prime years. The picture was not one-sided, though. She beat Tai Tzu Ying at Rio 2016 and in a three-game match at the 2019 World Championships.

Chen Yufei and An Se Young represent the modern game. Chen, the Tokyo Olympic champion, beat her at the Asian Games, although Chen had retired injured against her in the Japan Open semifinal. An remains the harder problem, with 11 straight wins over Sindhu.

The Sport Has Changed And So Has She

Asked by Outlook India about this very shift between generations, Sindhu said:

"There have been a lot of changes. Badminton as a sport has evolved significantly over the years. Back then, the game was more attack-oriented, with a greater emphasis on aggressive play. But now, it’s more about longer rallies, patience and being able to sustain the intensity on court. And with the proposed 15-point format coming in next year, the game is going to change even further. So, we have to adapt accordingly, and I think we’re gradually getting there. But, yeah, badminton has definitely evolved as a sport, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to compete against players from the earlier generation as well as the current one".

The next test comes quickly, and it is a bigger one. Sindhu has qualified for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, which run from December 9 to 13. It is her first appearance at the season-ending event in five years, and her sixth overall. She is now ranked sixth in the world, her highest position since December 2022.

The field is only eight strong, and An Se Young, Akane Yamaguchi, Wang Zhi Yi and Chen Yufei are already confirmed, so every name that has beaten her this season will be waiting in Hangzhou. She has chosen to skip the Korea Open and the Japan Masters to rest and get fit for it.