"It's like you see nothing at first, and then suddenly you see the fruit growing." Tan Kim Her's voice was tinged with emotion as he reflected on the journey of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the two men he paired and who fondly call him "Daddy". The affection is mutual and quite understandable. After all, Satwik and Chirag got their the first lessons together during Tan's first tenure as India's doubles badminton coach between 2015 to 2019. He is back in the saddle after incumbent Mathias Boe decided to quit coaching altogether following a disappointing Paris Olympics.
"It's always great to be back. India always gives me so many memories. When I first came here, I put all my effort into it, and the players were so dedicated and trusted me. Not just Satwik and Chirag, but all of them. I feel like it's my home," Tan reflected in an interview with PTI.
Back in 2015, when Tan first joined India's badminton camp, Satwik and Chirag were just budding talents. Over the years, with Tan's mentorship and later the guidance of Danish coach Mathias Boe, they grew into one of the most formidable pairs in world badminton.
"I have to give credit to Boe. He did a great job, and that's why they've been moving up," says Tan.
"But when you're at top, maintaining that position is not easy. You have to be very disciplined and committed." Stressing that his role is to help the duo aim higher, Tan said: "We need to plan which tournaments are most important. There's a tournament almost every month, so we can't focus on all of them.
"I told them, we can't aim to win every time, but we need to peak at the right time. The right time is the major tournaments we haven't won yet, like the All England, World Championship, Super Series Final, and of course, the Olympics." While the Asian Games victory was a major achievement for the two lively players, Tan said their focus must now shift to winning the sport's most prestigious events.
"It's great they won the Asian Games, but beyond that, other tournaments are more open. We may win or lose, and that's okay. But the main goal for me is for them to win the All England, World Championship, World Tour Final, and the Olympic Games," he said, detailing his mission going forward.
Reflecting on how different his role is now compared to when he first worked with Satwik and Chirag, the Malaysian said: "Back then, they didn't have a clear idea of how to become world-class. At that time, I told Satwik and Chirag, 'I say, you follow, that's it.' But now, it's different.
"They're playing at a higher level, so I don't just tell them to follow. We discuss the training programs, analyae what's happening, why we lose. From there, they need to understand why they lost. There's a lot more discussion now between me and them." Men's doubles is extremely competitive and Tan said his focus is on refining the small details.
"Attack-wise, they're strong, their side control and serve-receive are also very good. But it's the small errors that need work. I'll focus on those," he explained, adding that there's always room for improvement, especially in the way they read their opponents' game.
"The game has changed," Tan observes. "It's not always the case that Satwik has to be at the back and Chirag at the front. That used to be the case, but now they need to read the game better.
"Opponents know that Chirag is more at the front and Satwik at the back. But sometimes we confuse them. They think Satwik is always at the back, but he can sometimes move to the front. So overall, we can move around as long as both of them read the opponent's game." While the pair has come a long way, Tan notes that Satwik is still evolving. "Satwik is improving a lot at the front now, but... still, he can get better. There's always room to improve." Tan also points out that the duo must have a clear strategy when facing different teams.
"If you play Malaysia or Indonesia, both these countries, their game is almost similar. They have a very strong service game, good control, and solid defense. But when we play Korea, Japan, China, even Chinese Taipei, they have a more power-based game," he pointed out.
Satwik and Chirag were considered India's biggest medal hopes in Paris. However, their journey ended in the quarterfinals following a loss at the hands of Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh, despite having a 4-0 record against them in preceding match-ups.
"Olympics is different. It's the mental game. Can you handle the pressure or not? Satwik and Chirag were under more pressure because they had beaten Malaysia four times before. The Malaysians, though, were daring, especially in those crucial moments...," Tan said.
While Tan's primary focus remains Satwik and Chirag, he will also work closely with India's other doubles hopefuls.
"For mixed doubles, I'll be guiding Dhruv (Kapila) and Tanisha (Crasto), and for women's doubles, Sumeeth (Reddy) will focus on Gayatri (Gopichand) and Treesa (Jolly). I'll also work closely with Manu (Attri), who's handling the second group." "So, most of the time, I will bring them to train with me. And then I give some advice." Tan believes that India's doubles pairs have the potential to rise to the top echelons of world badminton.
"I see the system in place now. There's a proper program, and I truly believe Gayatri and Treesa, they're still young and can break into the top four in the world. And Dhruv and Tanisha, with proper planning, I see them in the top 10," he signed off.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)