Anup: The Journey So Far

IT has been a hectic year for the Indian national champion. In the first three months he has shuttled between three continents, experiencing the chill of Danish winter one day and the humid heat of Jakarta a few days later.
Having spent the last three months of 2005 in Copenhagen, Anup arrived in Bangalore to defend his national title, left again for Copenhagen for a fortnight, returned to India to play at the Thomas Cup preliminaries in Jaipur, flew back to Copenhagen for two days to participate in a club match, before returning to Bangalore on February 24. Four days later he found himself in Jakarta for a training camp before the Commonwealth Games. On March 12 the Indian team left for Melbourne. After a profitable fortnight spent in Melbourne, Anup played at the ABC in Johor Baru (Malaysia) in early April, where a first-round loss saw him back in Bangalore for the Thomas Cup camp.

But perhaps these experiences have helped, for he has now become a more complete player, a dangerous opponent for even the top stars. At the Thomas Cup preliminaries in Jaipur, he nearly got the Olympic silver medallist, Shon Seung Mo, before falling in three sets. At the Commonwealth he was instrumental in nearly upsetting England in the team semifinals, with a singles win over Amir Ghaffar.
Having just celebrated his 23rd birthday on 11 April, Anup shares his thoughts on the first quarter:

You’ve had a good year so far, but has consistency been a worry? After the high of your performance against England, you lost your match in the bronze medal playoff to John David Moody of New Zealand.
I didn’t play too badly, but I thought he played well. What surprised me was how cool I felt when I went in to the match. I won the first set quite easily. I should’ve finished the match in the second, but I relaxed early in the second – that’s happened to me a few times, although not as often as it used to. I’ve lost a few big matches this way. I need to keep the pressure right through.

In the open event you lost in the quarters to Lee Chong Wei (21-15 21-18). What was he like?
Very fast, very fit. He hits very difficult angles. Most of his half-smashes come within the service line. I found it really difficult in the first game, but by the second I anticipated better. I ran him quite close, but it wasn’t enough.

And Amir Ghaffar, whom you beat in the team event?
He’s very steady, a tough fighter, and retrieves well.

What was the Commonwealth experience like?
Amazing. To be part of the squad, to be in the athletes’ village, the dining area... I’ve never seen anything like it. Getting the team bronze was okay. We were so close to beating England. And I was disappointed to have missed out in the singles.

You lost in the first round of the ABC to Boonsak Ponsana.
Boonsak went on to reach the final, so obviously he was playing well. But I led him briefly in the second.

Are you happy with the way your game is evolving?
I’ve become more steady. I think it’s something I learnt the hard way. Actually, you can only learn the hard way; there’s no other way to learn. It’s easy for people to say “play freely”, but to do it is very tough, and I’m slowly learning how to keep everything else out of my mind and focus on the match.

What do you think you need to do from now on?
I need to get a little bit more fit. I need to be a little more cool. Otherwise... actually, I think I’m one of the fittest on the circuit now. I’ve really improved my fitness, and I can feel the difference.
I still love the game. I think that’s what I discovered about myself – that despite all this travelling and tournaments, I love the game. The other thing I've found out is: You either feel good or you feel bad – there’s no in-between state in badminton.

You did a wall-climbing session recently. Would you do more of that to improve your fitness?
There are many things you can do, like rock-climbing, but the game itself offers many ways to get fitter.

You’ve travelled quite a bit in the first three months.
I’m really sick of flying now... it’s not just the travelling. It’s really difficult adjusting to the change in climate. Indonesia was humid and hot, while in Denmark it was snowing. But I think playing in these conditions has helped improve my game.
I’m now playing my matches close to what I play in practise – and that’s very difficult, but I’m doing it more often.

Why is it difficult to replicate in a match what do you in practice?
There are two differences between matches and practise: shuttle quality, and drift.
In Melbourne the shuttle was moving not just sideways, but also up and down, because we played in an exhibition centre which had ACs fitted on the roof.

What’s it like to be by yourself on the circuit?
Yes, it does get very lonely. Most other teams come in squads. Most of the Asian players have friends and relatives in Europe, and they keep to themselves. It gets depressing if you lose early. I don’t like to stay back and watch matches – I like to play! So if I lose early, I fly out as soon as possible.
It’s fun when you win, though. After winning the Hungarian Open, me and Arvind barely had two hours to catch the flight. We had to rush to the airport from the stadium.

After my training I generally like to go for long walks. You can’t do that in Bangalore because of the pollution, but in Denmark I like to go to the beach nearby.

I’ve also bought a laptop and some CDs – Lost and some British comedies. I bought around 120 CDs in Malaysia.

Looking back, what have been your most memorable tournament wins?
My most memorable title was the Canara Bank tournament at Indiranagar, because that was my first. Also, the national title at Jamshedpur, because I hadn’t won any junior national title. This time I was just relieved to retain it.