'Not Olympics But...': Indian Shuttler HS Prannoy Opens Up On His Next Target

HS Prannoy won the Malaysia Masters in May and came within sniffing distance of bagging another title in Sydney, before finishing runner-up at last week's Australian Open.

He may be one of the front-runners in the Olympic race but star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy doesn't want to think about Paris right now and is instead focussing on "short-term targets" like breaking into the world's top three. The most consistent Indian singles player in the last 12 months, Prannoy, ranked world number 9, won the Malaysia Masters in May and came within sniffing distance of bagging another title in Sydney, before finishing runner-up at last week's Australian Open.

"Right now, probably I am in a good position. I had a few decent tournaments post-May but I would say I am never satisfied and I always want to go out there and win big tournaments, that's been always my ambition," Prannoy told PTI.

"Last couple of years, I have been consistently able to play quarterfinals and semifinals and now I am trying to make sure that I go that extra one more round and be in the final and win those tournaments." The 31-year-old Indian, who reached three quarterfinals and a semifinal besides the two finals this season, had achieved the world number 8 ranking in 2017 before health issues affected his game as he plummeted to 33 in 2021.

However, the man from Thiruvananthapuram returned to the top 10 in December last year before achieving a career-best world number 7 ranking in May this year.

"In the coming months that will be the challenge: to get into the top five, or be in the top three in the world, which I have never been able to do till now. I think that is the target as of now. I am not looking way ahead, at the Olympics," Prannoy said.