PV Sindhu opens up on physical strain after delivering two wins in two hours for India in Uber Cup: 'I’m not 19 anymore'
PV Sindhu gave India the early lead in their opening Group A tie of the 2026 Uber Cup against hosts Denmark before teaming up with Tanisha Crasto for a consolation win a couple of hours later.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu put her body on the line as she played two high-intensity matches in two hours during India's Group A opener of the 2026 Uber Cup against host nation Denmark on Friday. Sindhu defeated world No. 21 Line Christophersen 21-13, 18-21, 21-17 to give her team a 1-0 lead.
The star shuttler later teamed up with Tanisha Crasto to give India a consolation win in their final game after the hosts had already gained an unassailable 3-1 lead, with their opponents Alexandra Boje and Christine Busch having retired 36 minutes into the contest.
Sindhu seen wearing ice packs after gruelling first-round tie against Denmark
The 30-year-old, who had won silver and bronze in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics respectively, later took to social media to reveal how much physical stress she had undergone in the opening round, sharing pictures of herself with ice packs on her shoulders and on her knees.
More from Badminton News"Two matches in two hours. Must-win tie. And my body politely reminding me I’m not 19 anymore," read the caption of Sindhu's posts on X and Instagram, in which she also wished a speedy recovery to her doubles opponent Busch.
While Sindhu gave the Indians a winning start, world No 3 Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma lost their respective singles encounters against Line Kjærsfeldt (12-21, 23-25) and Amalie Schulz (21-19, 16-21, 16-21) respectively. In the first doubles game, Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam went down fighting (17-21, 21-11, 21-23) against Amalie Cecilie Kudsk and Mette Werge.
Sindhu had recently returned to action after more than two months at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, where she was knocked out in the Round of 16 following a straight-games defeat (18-21 8-21) at the hands of Wang Zhiyi.
Sindhu and her teammates will be aiming to bounce back in their next outing against Ukraine on Saturday before facing an even tougher challenge against China on Monday.
India, however, were off to a winning start in the Thomas Cup, thrashing Canada 4-1 by winning four games on the trot after conceding the early lead.
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