Pullela Gopichand: I did not want my autobiography to be dull and preachy
The Hindu
Ahead of the launch of his autobiography ‘Shuttler’s Flick’, badminton coach and former player Pullela Gopichand reveals how he channelled his hurt to devise a winning strategy and bounce back stronger
“I am a work in progress,” says badminton coach and former player Pullela Gopichand, speaking to The Hindu ahead of the launch of his autobiography Shuttler’s Flick: Making Every Match Count (Simon & Schuster publication). The book that he has co-authored with Priya Kumar will be unveiled in Hyderabad on November 12.
The seeds for the book were sown in 2016 when Gopichand served as the official Indian Olympic badminton team coach. P V Sindhu won her first Olympic silver at Rio: “I prefer to focus on the task at hand, rather than document my achievements. However, people around me felt it was the right time to tell my story,” he recalls.
Writer and motivational speaker Priya Kumar was recommended by a friend and the consensus among those who knew Gopichand closely was to put out an autobiography that can also serve as a guidebook for future champions. Shuttler’s Flick intersperses Gopichand’s story with Priya Kumar’s observations on his journey and lists pointers for aspiring players, parents and coaches. A bulk of the work happened in 2018 and 2019, with Priya Kumar meeting Gopichand’s family members, friends and colleagues at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy.