Gopi Chand is the reason for what I am today: Siyadatullah

Mohammed Siyadatullah Siddiqui, respected coach, moves to Oregon Badminton Academy in USA after successful tenure at Gopi Chand Academy.

The support staff at the Gopi Chand Academy might not be the same again with one of the most trusted and respected coaches, Mohammed Siyadatullah Siddiqui, moving over to the Oregon Badminton Academy in the USA.

For long the 40-year-old Siyadatullah has been one of the very few whom chief national coach P. Gopi Chand always looked up to to take up the role of a travelling coach. He has an impressive record too.

“It has been a terrific journey after having started my playing career in Mahabubnagar in 2000. I stopped playing due to an injury and started as a coach at the Gopi Academy (Gachibowli) from 2004,” Siyadutt, as he is better known in the badminton circles, told The Hindu.

The fact that he could mentor the likes of Saina Nehwal and K. Srikanth when they won the prestigious China Open titles is a tribute to his efficacy and the kind of faith the shuttlers had in him.

“I owe a lot to Gopi Anna. He is the reason for what I am today. I enjoyed every minute, picking up so many things about the art of coaching from him. I am glad I played my bit in the success stories of some of the most famous names of Indian badminton during the last two decades,” Siyadutt, who joined the National team as singles coach in 2004, said.

Since then, he has been an integral part of many memorable moments in Indian badminton including the 2018 Commonwealth Games team gold and the Thomas Cup gold besides helping the players script winning moments in many Super Series tournaments too.

On the Oregon Badminton Academy, a full-fledged USA Badminton (USAB) certified facility located in the city of Beaverton, Siyadutt said the mission was to provide the best-in-class badminton facility and infrastructure through a comprehensive list of high-quality badminton services including coaching/ training programmes at all levels and age groups besides fitness programmes.