India’s two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu scripted history as she became the country's first to win a BWF Super 750 title. In the Japan Open 2026 final, she beat world no.3 Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to end her drought for a title win. After the major title win, Sindhu revealed how India men’s cricket team’s senior player Virat Kohli helped her make a comeback from injury setbacks. Sindhu revealed how Kohli was quick to respond to her. She chose not to reveal the details of the conversation between the two but admitted that it led to a major change in how she approached things.
“One thing I’ll always be grateful for, though, is Virat bhai. I reached out to him at one of the lowest points of my career. Injuries were piling up, the results weren’t coming, and I just needed someone who understood. He replied within minutes, and we met the very next day,” Sindhu wrote on X.
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“What we spoke about will always stay between us. But I’ll always be grateful that when I needed someone, he was there. He didn’t say much, but every word stayed with Datta and me. Some conversations change the way you see things. That was one of them.”
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Changes in approach, training led to Sindhu’s new avatar
Sindhu further revealed that she was able to find joy in her routines. The 31-year-old also confirmed that she tried various recovery experiments at home. Her husband, Venkata Datta Sai, often suggested various gadgets that would help her recover faster.
Sindhu has been training with Indonesian coach Irwansyah. Her strength trainer is Wayne Lombard. She has lost 3.5 kilograms which has helped her endure long rallies. She has made changes to her game which have been supported by her improved fitness standards. Her net play has improved considerably. She has been playing attention to data to understand what goes wrong on a particular day. The high-on-confidence is looking to achieve more as India host the BWF World Championships which will take place next month.
Sindhu’s next match
31-year-old Sindhu will now be action in the BWF Super 1000 event, the China Open which begins on July 22. Sindhu will begin her campaign on July 22 against 18-year-old Unnati Hooda in the Round of 32 clash.