PV Sindhu welcomes new coach Mohammad Hafiz Hashim, slips to lowest ranking in over a decade

Star shuttler PV Sindhu on Tuesday announced Mohammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia as her new head coach. Sindhu took to Twitter to confirm Hashim’s appointment, saying that he possesses everything that she was looking in a coach, including attacking instinct, height and speed. “HERE WE GO!! In typical Fabrizio style, I am thrilled to announce Hafiz Hashim as my new coach!! After a long, drawn-out process, I am ecstatic to declare that I have chosen the incredible Hafiz Hashim as my coach. Hafiz possesses all the traits I was seeking in a coach, including the height, speed, and an attacking instinct. As a former all England champion in 2003, he sure has the pedigree as well. Having coach Sidek as his old coach, just add this aura to him. I extend a warm welcome aboard, Coach Hashim. Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a hell of journey with captain Hafiz at the helm!!,” Sindhu wrote on Twitter.

According to news agency PTI, Sindhu had written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), seeking approval to train under the former All England Champion under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Sindhu had suffered a stress fracture on her ankle, during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she won gold in women’s singles. And after returning from a five-month injury layoff, Sindhu has looked out of form this season. More recently, Sindhu suffered a quarterfinal exit in the US Open, losing to Gao Fangje of China. As a result of her inconsistent run, Sindhu has dropped out of the top 10 in the BWF rankings to be placed 17th. This was her worst ranking in over a decade, and the last time the Hyderabad shuttler was ranked 17th, was in January 2013. Sindhu had reached the final of the Madrid Spain Masters, while reaching the semi-finals at the Malaysia Open and the Canada Open. Sindhu is currently in Seoul for the Korea Open. She will begin her campaign on Wednesday, against Pai Yu-po of Taiwan.