New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Former world champion Ratchanok Intanon believes prioritising recovery over excessive training and staying patient on court are essential for her and someone like P V Sindhu as they eye long careers in the constantly evolving women’s badminton circuit.
The 30-year-old Thai is part of badminton’s celebrated “golden generation”, which includes India’s P V Sindhu, Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying, Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Spain’s Carolina Marín.
While Tai has retired and Marin has not competed since suffering an injury at the Paris Olympics, Intanon, Sindhu and Okuhara continue to grind it out on the BWF World Tour.
“With age, I have not changed my training drastically, but I have changed my thinking,” Intanon told PTI.
“When I was younger, I trained almost every day. Now I still train six days a week, but recovery has become more important. It is not about pushing all the time. Sometimes the muscles and fitness do not move together, so you have to adapt.
“My aim is to stay on the World Tour year by year. I am not thinking about the 2028 Olympics. Young players in my country are catching up and my only real expectation is to stay injury-free when I play,” she said.
When asked about her long-term plans, the world No. 8 said she reiterated her commitment short-term goals.
“I do not really think far ahead. I do not know what will happen in the future. I wake up every day, try to be happy, maintain my condition and take better care of myself. Recovery is much more important now than when I was young.
“I think year by year. This year, my main target is the Asian Games.” Intanon shares a strong camaraderie with Indian superstar Sindhu and believes players from their generation have had to evolve with the changing demands of women’s badminton.
“Me and Sindhu are quite similar in style and career stage. The women’s game has become more rally-oriented with the younger generation. For players like us, patience is key. We have to choose the right moments to attack because younger players wait for us to make mistakes.
“If we stay patient, we can still play with very high quality,” she said.
Intanon enjoyed a productive 2025 season, winning titles at the Indonesia Masters and Japan Masters, and reaching the semifinals of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.
She has also begun the new season on a positive note, reaching the quarterfinals at the Malaysia Super 1000 and defeating Japan’s Riko Gunji in the opening round of the ongoing India Open Super 750 here.
“At the end of last year, I felt good and my fitness was also good. Before that I was tired and had a small calf injury. Before Malaysia, I tried to recover and prepare but I lost to Chen Yu Fei. I knew to win I had to be 100 percent confident,” Intanon said.
“Now I feel better and I my calf needs to be stronger. I feel okay overall. I try to keep my confidence even when I lose and take lessons from every match.
“Young players learn from me and I also learn from them. They want to beat me and sometimes I feel I do not lose because of the opponent, but because I cannot give 100 per cent of my performance. Reaching at least the semifinals is my target here,” she added.
Reflecting on the rise of badminton in Thailand, Intanon said the sport has grown exponentially since her early years.
“When I started, it felt like it was only me. Now badminton is very popular in Thailand. Many people play it for fitness and we have more players coming through. Kunlavut has inspired a lot of youngsters.
“Earlier, there was no one older to follow. Now we are the ones inspiring people. Even if children do not become professionals, badminton gives them a healthy lifestyle, and that matters,” she said. PTI ATK PM ATK PM PM
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