“Hello?” Gayatri Pullela says on the phone. She is 19, and her voice retains a bit of the childlike quality. (More Badminton News)
Gayatri was catching a flight after an event in Mumbai on September 8 organized by GoSports Foundation, which supports Gayatri and many other Indian sportspersons. Along the way, the winner of the badminton women’s doubles bronze and mixed team silver at the Commonwealth Games, with Treesa Jolly as partner, chatted with Outlook.
Gayatri is the daughter of badminton legend P Gopichand and PVV Lakshmi, also a former player and Olympian. Asked the one advice from them that she always carried with her, Gayatri said, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. You just have to give 100 per cent on court and be happy.”
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This year has been special for her. Before their two medals in Birmingham, Gayatri and Treesa, who is also 19, reached the All England Championships semifinals. It was a breakthrough of sorts for the pair, currently no. 35 in the world. In some ways, it was more creditable than the CWG. They won three successive matches, and upset the world No. 2 team of Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan of Korea in the quarterfinal.
“I didn’t think we’d get an entry for the All England, but once we got in, we were super-prepped,” Gayatri said. “No one expected we’d actually reach the semis. After that performance, we got a lot of motivation [for subsequent events].”
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At the CWG, Gayatri cherished the opportunity to meet athletes from India and the other countries.
“Definitely was a very eventful year,” Gayatri said.
One person she could not meet at the Commonwealth Games, however, was Neeraj Chopra, who she looks up to as an athlete. Chopra missed the Games due to injury.
“I’m a huge fan of Neeraj Chopra,” Gayatri said. “Just the energy he brings [to his performances] is amazing.”
Among badminton players, Gayatri likes the Indonesian doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
Asked what makes her and Treesa gel on court, Gayatri said that Treesa is an aggressive player with a good smash, while she is skill-based and calm. She creates the chances for Treesa to exploit. In case there is a difference of opinion or debate over strategy, they sort it out.
“You just have to be understanding towards each other,” she said.
Gayatri is a child of the digital age, but cuts down social media use during tournaments. As for her education, she has finished her 12th and has yet to decide what to pursue. She unwinds by spending time with her brother Sai Vishnu, who is also a badminton player, and by going for drives around Hyderabad with friends in her KIA Seltos.
