I hope and pray no player has to go through this situation: HS Prannoy

India’s star shuttler HS Prannoy may have crashed out at the quarter-final stage of recently concluded BWF World Badminton Championships but it was a huge achievement for him on personal front. Prannoy shared his struggles and the anxiousness before the mega event in a tweet. The 29-year-old pointed out that he did not have any funds to participate in the World Championships and feared that he may have to miss out. He also mentioned in his photo tweet that he wishes “no player has to go through this situation”. 

“I got the entry to the World Championships just a week before the tournament. I was at the verge of withdrawing from the tournament due to lack of sponsors and funds. All of my heart and credits goes to @gosportsvoices for stepping in at the right moment and funding me for the World Championships, which gave me the freedom and flexibility to go all out and perform my best. They have been my backbone for a decade now and I cannot thank them enough for what they have been doing (for) me. Finding someone who has faith in your game pushes you to a great length. 

“I hope and pray no player has to go through this situation, where you have to worry about funding on top of training and preparing for tournaments. Hoping the situation gets better in the coming years,” Prannoy wrote.

Prannoy lost to Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in straight games by 14-21, 12-21 in a match that lasted 43 minutes. The unseeded Singaporean shuttler went on to win the World Championships beating India’s Kidambi Srikanth in straight games on December 19 by 15-21, 20-22. Srikanth, however, became the first Indian male to win a silver in BWF World Championships. 

Badminton Association of India (BAI) is yet to respond to Prannoy’s claim after his revelation of a tweet.