Not your Regular Badminton Bro: In conversation with Anay Chaudhary
Niyati Sinojiya and Gaargi Jamkar
SY Bsc (2022- 25)
Estimated Reading time: 7 mins
On a pleasant afternoon, (pleasant because we bunked IMPS) the two of us ventured to interview GIPE’s latest badminton star: Anay Chaudhary..
A little bit about Anay: He’s from Pune and in the First Year pursuing BSc Economics. He has mainly played districts but has also played the States and the Nationals. He qualified for the nationals’ main draw 3 times. (To get to the main draw one must win the first five matches)
He is also a 2 time state finalist in doubles and 6 time district winner!
Anay was a singles player before covid but changed his focus to doubles after the pandemic hit. The achievement he’s the most proud of? Winner of the Annual GIPE sports week event 2023 (Just kidding!)
Source:original
What got you started into badminton?
My brother used to play badminton. He is 9 years older than me and he inspired me to play the sport. We both used to play together and then my mom got me into coaching.
When did you feel like you want to play badminton seriously and won’t leave it at all?
I have felt this many times actually but then later I came to terms with the fact that there is no point in continuing and focusing only on badminton because there is a lot of competition and it requires a lot of focus.
There is a lot of politics as well. When I used to play under-17 singles for the nationals, 25 year old boys used to come to play who were all age frauds.There is a lot of age fraud in every sport.
We’ve seen a lot that for a lot of athletes training in school is fine and you can pursue it seriously but after the age of 18, it becomes harder and you need to focus more, so what has kept you going?
Actually after 10th, the pandemic had hit, so playing badminton reduced a lot. Prior to that I used to train for 6 hours a day with a morning fitness session. So I told my school that I would be late to school and sometimes I even used to leave early because I had practice at the Balewadi sports complex. After 11th and 12th, practice reduced a little but I never really ever left Badminton. Even during exams I used to play Badminton for 2 hours. That made me feel good and the studies also went well.
Has Badminton distracted you from studies or has it helped you focus better on your academics?
No, it doesn’t distract me at all. Some physical activity makes me calmer. If I don’t play, I’m either roaming around in the room or shaking my leg. After doing any physical activity, like playing any sport, I feel calmer and it helps me better focus on my studies.
How did you practice during covid?
During Covid, practice had completely stopped. Sometimes, when the restrictions were relaxed, me and 3 of my friends would book a court and go to play, but coaching had ceased. My sir used to take online fitness classes on Zoom at 6 in the morning. I was a bit lazy but my mom used to wake me up. Now I practice only twice a week. It has reduced quite a lot.
At Least then, did you keep your camera on?
(everyone laughs)
Yes but sometimes I used to switch it off and go back to sleep.
While playing doubles, there is an additional pressure being responsible for your partner’s loss, so how do you deal with that, especially during matches when you are losing because of more mistakes from your end?
I don’t take pressure. Sometimes it is a good day for me and sometimes it isn’t. It’s the same for my partner. So we have decided that even if one of us makes a mistake, we’ll not demotivate each other or get irritated. We have that understanding between us. Yes, sometimes you do feel bad if it is your mistake, but we help each other out. If I make a mistake, he’ll tell me that it is okay and to focus on the next point and if it is his mistake, I tell him the same.
(Asking inquisitively) Also, how do you not take pressure? Is it something that you’ve been balancing well since you were young or have you had to mentally train yourself over the years?
Yes, I have trained myself. Earlier, when I used to play for states and for nationals, I used to take a lot of pressure as I kept thinking about how expensive these events are. Later, the pressure reduced because I got used to it.
Do you like it when people watch you while playing? I saw you at Kurukshetra and you were absolutely enjoying the crowd cheering for you.
(smiles) Yes, I enjoy it. I like it when people cheer for me.
How do you deal with self doubt?Have there been times when there is a lot of self doubt while playing and how do you overcome that while you are still on court?
Yes.It is not an easy situation to be in. I just take a deep breath.
Can you share a memorable moment from any of your badminton matches that had a significant impact on you?
I was in Jaipur with my doubles partner. Our parents were also there. My partner and I were wasting a lot of time: sleeping late at night and all that. My mom was like, “Aapan itka aalo aahe, aata aapan haarnar aahe” (we have come so far and now we are going to lose). My partner and I were very upset. Next day we had a match with seeded players who were from Rajasthan (2nd Seed). That match we played really really well. We won the third set by 22-21 and that was one of the best moments. Our parents were also really happy. We got a lot of confidence after that. We then went on to win 2 more matches but lost in the Quater-finals. But that was fine. We were not expecting to win that match but we tried our best and we won.
(reminisces and feels happy)
How do you approach a match that is against a seeded player or who is ranked better than you?
Then there is nothing to lose…..
Source:original
As an athlete, what do you think is different in you or something that sets you apart from others?
I never give up. Even if I’m losing by a big margin: I’ll get angry and annoyed but I WILL overcome that feeling. I tell myself that I will try and push till the end even if I am losing and challenge myself to make the most points possible.”
Does this attitude help you in overcoming problems in everyday life as well?
Yes. Not taking a lot of pressure. “What will happen will happen” kind of attitude.
Are there any players,in the past or playing presently, who inspire you or influence your playing style?
Not my style but they influenced me to play badminton. Players like Lee_Chong_WeiLee Chong Wei Chong Wei and Lin Dan are a motivation for me. Chirag Shetty and Satwik Reddy are also really good players. My partner and I used to watch them play before going to play our own matches.
Do you still aspire to make a career out of this?
(Immediately answers) No.
– Good that you took Bsc then.
Has there ever been a time where because of Badminton, your mental health deteriorated or conversely has playing Badminton helped you overcome a bad state of mind?
Yes, my mental health was affected badly because of Badminton. I had gone to play for the Nationals and I knew that it was an easy match to win but something happened and I lost. The next 2-3 days I felt really bad because so much money and time was being spent. Seeing my parents being sad also affected me. Even when I lost in Kurukshetra (a sports event by Flame University), I sat alone for 30 minutes after the match. But there are also times when I’m getting bored at home or something has happened and I found that playing Badminton during those times really uplifts my mood.
Have you ever thought of quitting seriously?
No, I have never thought about fully quitting.
-Take a break from badminton maybe?
My break is going on right now. I don’t play a lot of tournaments now. I only play districts and college tournaments. I don’t play states or nationals anymore. After 11th, my fitness and practice reduced a lot. People who still play now, practice 4-5 hours daily. I felt like there was no point continuing if I didn’t give that much time. So I just accepted that I couldn’t pursue Badminton.
How have you accepted the fact that you played so well earlier but now you can’t play to your fullest potential or reach a level where you could have reached if you had continued further? How does it make you feel?
Actually, I don’t feel like that because it was my own decision to reduce the time I gave to Badminton. It demands a lot of time as well as money because Badminton is an expensive sport. My parents never asked me to stop playing. I myself told my parents that I’ll decrease the time I give to Badminton.
How much did you spend on an average in a month on Badminton, everything including training, fitness and equipment?
Minimum of Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 if I had matches. Matches usually used to be held every month, so then around Rs 20,000 a month.
Did you ever think of going to Bangalore or Hyderabad for coaching at the renowned academies?
I thought about it but then I knew I had my friends in Pune. I trained at Balewadi which to be fair is far but it was never very hectic. My entire life is here.
Is there something else that you are really good at except Badminton, any other sport or some other skill?
Every sport actually: table tennis, football, snooker, etc. I like playing snooker. In fact I came 4th in snooker during Kurukshetra.
(Ngl, we were quite shocked listening to this considering the fact that he plays snooker just for fun)
What are your career plans?
(laughs) Nothing. Just going with the flow. I didn’t even know that I was going to do Bsc Economics.
Has this conversation made you nostalgic and remember the good and the bad times you’ve had while playing Badminton? How do you feel right now?
Now I remembered that while playing nationals and states ki Jeetata tha to kitna accha lagta tha (when I used to win, I used to feel so good). Bad times don’t bother me anymore.
Source:original
Interviewer’s Thoughts-
Niyati – I really enjoyed this conversation with Anay. What I have learnt from him is to not take life too seriously and just go with the flow of things. I also truly admire his ability to deal with pressure which is a mark of a great sportsman or any individual for that matter: it sets you apart from other people. Lastly, I respect his ability to accept the situation as it is. He’s accepted the fact that badminton cannot be his career even after being successful and displaying potential. For me, he is that “cool kid” in class who plays sports,doesn’t worry too much about life but is also smart enough to do something great in life!
Gaargi- What I learnt talking to him was that I was under the assumption that all sports people are disciplined, focused and stern. He is undoubtedly all that but also so chill in life which really impressed me.