Satwiksairaj over the moon

‘There was that gut feeling and the burning desire to be the champions’

For R. Satwiksairaj it has been a dream come true!

“In 2015, when my teammates were training, I went to watch the semifinals and final of the Thomas Cup in China. And, believe me, I was cheering for Indonesia which was facing Korea in the final. Then, I wondered whether I would ever be on the court playing the Thomas Cup final,” said a delighted Satwik in an exclusive chat with The Hindu on his return from Bangkok after playing a lead role along with his doubles partner Chirag Shetty in India winning the Thomas Cup for the first time.

“Winning the Thomas Cup is a different kind of feeling”

“For me Bangkok has always been a lucky venue. That was where I won my first ABC medal (silver in mixed doubles and bronze in doubles in the under-15 category), our (he and Chirag) first Super Series title when we won the  Thailand Open Super 500 title in 2019 to name a few,” he said.

“So when we were facing Indonesia, there was that gut feeling and the burning desire to be the champions and not be mere spectators,” he said.

“Lakshya’s win in the first singles in the final gave us the confidence we were looking for and we told to ourselves this should be our day,” Satwik said.

“Winning the Thomas Cup is a different kind of feeling. This win in Bangkok is obviously a never-before kind of performance,” he said.