Indian badminton’s new star Tanvi Patri

• Tanvi Patri, a 13-year-old from Odisha, won the Asian U-15 girls’ singles title at Chengdu, China, and the U-15 and U-17 singles titles at the sub-junior Nationals in Chennai.
• Despite not losing a single game in China, she dropped one across 12 in Chennai.
• Tanvi’s success is attributed to her consistent emotional resilience and her desire to improve.
• Tanvi started badminton at a young age, following her father’s footsteps and being home-schooled by her mother.
• She has won almost every badminton tournament she played, up to the U-12 category.
• Tanvi’s training was shifted to Shanghai, where she was trained by Chinese coach Jiang Yong Yi.
• Jiang has made multiple visits to the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) to conduct coaching clinics.
• Tanvi was absorbed into PPBA after a few trial sessions in 2022.

Tanvi’s Potential in Indian Badminton

• Tanvi’s fearlessness and ability to play without making mistakes have impressed coaches.
• She has been able to compete in higher age categories without fear, a trait that has binds her to the best in Indian badminton.
• Tanvi made the final in her maiden senior tournament, the CM Trophy India International Challenge in Raipur, before losing to Rakshitha Ramraj, four years her senior.
• She has a staying power, understanding that she needs to do better without catching a break in tough rallies.
• Umendra Singh Rana, a SAI coach, praised Tanvi’s quick learning ability and consistency.
• Tanvi’s rise comes at a time when Indian women’s singles is looking for the next big star after Saina and Sindhu.
• Her attainments so far are small indicators of the seemingly endless possibilities, and she has a mighty long way to go.
• Growth opportunities for Tanvi include exposure to higher levels of competition and playing more in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.
• Vimal emphasizes the need to improve her strength and net skills to build on anything in badminton.
• Despite her potential, Tanvi is different from the scores of girls he has coached, and he believes that helping them realize their potential is the key.