Did the spree of photoshoots ruin Jwala's Olympic hopes?

By the time the Indian badminton contingent returns home — with or without medals — the Badminton Association of India would have in its possession a letter written by well-meaning lovers of the game, asking it to ban players from appearing for any endorsements or public appearances one month before any major event like the Olympics, Asian Games and the World championship. The trigger seems to be the so-near-yet-so-far fate of India’s women’s doubles team of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa. Though the two won their last match against the Singapore pair 21-16, 21-15, they lost out in points to the team from Japan and could not make it to the quarters. In fact, they were out of the London Olympics even before they stepped on court for their final match because of the earlier loss to Japan. Jwala in particular, went on a public appearance spree in the weeks leading to the London event, making many of her fans and admirers wonder if she couldn’t do it after the Olympics. The flamboyant shuttler made an appearance at the Omega showroom, campaigned for keeping wild animals out of Hyderabad zoo, attended farewell dinners and even did a cover shoot for a glam magazine. [caption id=“attachment_399961” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The cover for The Man magazine. Image courtesy TS Sudhir[/caption] Asked about it, Jwala posed a counter question. “You in the media saw me training, didn’t you? I have heard some people say that I am busy attending events and neglecting practice. Let them talk. I am now a public figure, not just a player and to meet people who wish the best for me, before I head to the Olympics is part of my job.’’ Her two coaches — SM Arif and Pullela Gopi Chand — had divergent views on Jwala’s overdrive off-court. Arif was unhappy that the photoshoots and endorsements were occupying Jwala’s mindspace and said he told Jwala in so many words. “I never approved of them. But then she believes that such outings relax her,” he rued. Gopi in contrast, said different players have a different approach to their game. “Every player’s personality is different. You cannot put Jwala in an academy and make her practice all day,” he said. It’s pertinent to point out that this opinion on Jwala flew in the face of Gopi’s general theory that “you cannot excel at the highest level if after 10 hours of badminton, you spend the remaining 14 hours doing other things which harm your game.” How much is too much, is never a question that has an easy answer. Time spent on photoshoots or endorsements, invariably comes in for criticism, when the form of a player does not match expectations. Especially in a big ticket tournament like the Olympics. Jwala’s strength is her ability to create openings for Ashwini and smash winners from the net. Before leaving for London, she had said many top teams are now scared of facing Ashwini and her, because of their aggression on court. Unfortunately, for the world number 20 duo, Jwala breathed fire in patches in London. She lost all her three matches alongside V Diju in the mixed doubles and the loss to Japan in the first women’s doubles encounter, proved too costly in the end. For Jwala and Ashwini, this would have been a heartbreak moment. The two had won the bronze medal at the World Championship last August at the same venue in London, the first Indians to do so and raised hopes of an encore. They would have a lot to think about on the flight back home. Did they lose the plot in London or in Hyderabad?