PV Sindhu Praises Volunteers and BAI at Home World Championships

PV Sindhu praised the volunteers, support staff, government and Badminton Association of India after opening her BWF World Championships 2026 campaign with a 21-7, 21-11 victory over Ireland’s Sophia Noble at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

The 2019 world champion said the organisation around the home event had made a particularly positive impression, from court conditions to the assistance available to players. The win marked Sindhu’s first match of her 10th World Championships, where she is aiming for a sixth medal.

“The conditions, whatever is said and done, the volunteers, the support staff, the government, and of course, the Badminton Association of India have put in a lot of effort,” Sindhu said after the match.

Sindhu highlights player support and court conditions

Sindhu singled out the attention to detail provided during the tournament, saying players had support at every stage of their time at the venue. She pointed to facilities including water bottles, washrooms and changing rooms, as well as the guidance offered by volunteers.

“And I think from the water bottles to washrooms to changing rooms to everything, the court conditions, I think everything is brilliantly done, and I think there are people everywhere to tell us where to go, how to go,” she said. “I think that’s really, really good and hats off to the volunteers and of course, BAI for doing a great job.”

The Indian also said she liked the conditions after getting her first opportunity to compete at the home World Championships. She stressed that the opening outing was important for assessing the court and understanding the schedule, irrespective of the margin of victory.

“The conditions are pretty good, is what I feel,” Sindhu said. “But I think it was important to go out there and see the court conditions and know how the schedule is. And I really, I mean, they’re really good; I really liked it. So, yeah, that’s my personal opinion.”

Home support was another significant part of her opening-day experience. Sindhu said the sight of thousands of supporters cheering as she walked onto court gave her confidence before the match against Noble.

“It was really good to get out of the court, and I could see a lot of people cheering and supporting me. I think that gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “Irrespective of who the opponent is, it was just that I had to play my game and give my best.”

Comfortable opening win sets up Round of 32 match

On court, Sindhu made a fast start against world No. 141 Noble, moving into an 8-0 lead in the first game before taking it 21-7. Noble offered more resistance in the second game and was three points behind at the interval, but Sindhu pulled away after the break.

Sindhu won 10 of the next 13 points to seal the 21-11 second game and complete the match in 29 minutes. She acknowledged that players can feel jittery in a first match, particularly while adapting to conditions, but said she was pleased with her start and her ability to maintain the early advantage.

“I think today I started well. I started with a big lead, even though I was giving two, three points here and there, but I still could maintain that lead,” Sindhu said. “So, I think it was a good start for me, and I was comfortable throughout.”

Despite being among the leading medal contenders, Sindhu said she would not look too far ahead. Her next match is against Canada’s world No. 49 Wen Yu Zhang in the Round of 32, with the Indian maintaining a match-by-match approach to the tournament.

“Right now, the medal is quite far away. For me, it’s just one match at a time. I have to give 100% in every match,” she said.