Seshadri now wants to sharpen her skills at the training academy run by the former All England champion Gopichand, who is currently the national badminton coach.

The reason behind Seshadri’s new-found optimism in improving her skills under Gopichand could perhaps lies in her impressive, yet title-losing act, in the Under-16 category of a major national ranking championship in Bangalore earlier this month, where she finished runner-up.

Having started her career in 2003 under the Badminton Players Association’s (BPA) coaching programmes, Seshadri improved by leaps and bounds and drew attention at the national level, hogging the limelight in the badminton fraternity by clinching coveted state championship title.

Speaking to The Indian Express about her recent showing and her plans of training up-close under Gopichand, Seshadri said: “The runner-up prize in the national ranking tournament in Bangalore seems to be spurring me a lot more. There are six major ranking tournaments to participate in. If you can maintain good performance in those tournaments, you can get a call-up from Gopichand’s academy. And after playing in the last meet in Bangalore, I will next be participating in the crucial ranking meet in September this year. And I know I have to deliver the best.”

Elaborating on the pluses of the much talked about Gopichand academy, Seshadri explained: “The academy is coming up in a big way in Hyderabad. A centrally AC indoor stadium, along with modern training infrastruture, is likely to be set up by the end of this year. And so far, I heard that about five or six quality young players from India’s northern and eastern parts will get admission in the academy. So, my aim is now to train under Gopichand.”