Badminton is not as glamorous as cricket.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Badminton is not a popular sport in India.
It should not all be about badminton.
Badminton is a cruel sport.
In countries like China and Indonesia, badminton is like a religion. Players get mobbed in the street. In China, it is a national sport, and Lin Dan, their star player, is treated like David Beckham.
I never believed that India could win a medal in badminton because the competition is so tough.
There is talk that badminton may not make it as a sport in the 2020 Olympics. We must bear in mind that other sports are strongly lobbying to be included.
What we do is nothing like the portrayal of badminton as a gentle game played in a church hall. Badminton can be fun and relaxing, but as professionals, this sport is our heart and soul and passion, and our games are fast and aggressive.
Badminton is not only about winning. What is important to me is about playing hard, doing my best and putting up a good show for the spectators.
I think if people were to look at badminton and tennis, they'd see they're actually very similar; the profile would increase, and we might be in a better position as a sport.
I think badminton has a real legacy with more youngsters taking up the sport. Badminton has done really well in that regard compared to other sports.