New Delhi, Jan 12 : HS Prannoy has rediscovered the joy in daily grind after a forgettable second half of the “toxic” 2025 season but the veteran Indian shuttler is unsure if he will be able to extend his career much.
Prannoy, 33, endured a tough 2025 season, in which he competed in 19 tournaments and not even once managed to go beyond the second round.
“I don’t even know what’s going to happen after three months. Asian Games, World Championship, all these things are way too far for me to go,” Pranoy told PTI Videos on the sidelines of the India Open 2026 press conference here.
“The important thing is to focus on what is in my hand right now and just enjoy what I can do rather than cribbing on how I’m not able to play on the top level.”
In the twilight of his career, Prannoy said finding happiness in competing has become central to his outlook.
“I’m still here, still able to play against somebody who is 14 years younger to me and give tough competition, I should be able to find happiness in it,” Pranoy said.
Asked about the World Championships later this year in India, Pranoy remained non-committal.
“I don’t know. To be honest, I’m a little far behind right now but things just change in sport very, very quickly. So, hopefully, I will be here chatting with you again during the World Championships,” he said.
Reflecting on a difficult 2025, Pranoy admitted inconsistent results and circumstances affected his mindset.
“Last year was a little bit toxic to me in that way. Couldn’t really get going in a lot of tournaments. Had a lot of good matches, but couldn’t finish a lot of good matches. But more than that, I was not really enjoying playing in the second part of 2025,” he said.
Despite early exits across several BWF Tour events last season, Pranoy showed resilience even as injuries and fitness issues hampered his momentum.
He said rediscovering enjoyment in training has helped him reconnect with the sport ahead of the India Open.
“The important thing was to find that enjoyment in playing and training and enjoying the grind as such. I think probably last few weeks were good in that way, and so really looking forward to the next few weeks of badminton.
“The one thing is to always get something which you have not achieved. And I think I have not achieved a lot of things in badminton as such. So the drive is to always be better and find a better result when you’re able to play.
“I know that playing career is very short and probably can end today or tomorrow, but the important thing is how committed you are when you are playing. Because I don’t want to regret myself saying that I could have done that when I stopped playing.”
Pranoy said his body is finally responding well as he begins the 2026 season, despite an early exit at the Malaysia Open earlier this month.
“Body is feeling good to be honest. The last few weeks I’ve had good time to train. To be honest, quite excited to be here. It’s been a while since I’ve played a big event. I think it’s important to be healthy first,” he said. (PTI)
