“Belief Was Missing Last Year”: HS Prannoy on Injuries, Age and Starting Again | Exclusive

At 33, Indian men's singles shuttler HS Prannoy finds himself at a reflective yet quietly determined phase of his career.

Prannoy endured one of the toughest years of his career in 2025. Across 19 tournaments

on the BWF Tour, he failed to progress beyond the second round even once - a stark contrast to the form that once took him to a career-high world ranking of No. 6 in August 2023.

Injuries, fitness setbacks and constant stop-start momentum meant the year never truly settled. Yet, Prannoy insists resilience - not results - defined that period.

Ahead of the India Open 2026, the bronze medal winner at the 2023 BWF World Championships, spoke candidly in an exclusive interaction with myKhel, opening up about a bruising 2025 season, the physical and mental challenges of staying competitive, and why rediscovering enjoyment in training has become central to his comeback.

"2025 was a really tough year," Prannoy admitted. "Coming back from what happened at the end of 2024 after chikungunya took a big toll on my body. It took almost one and a half years to really come back to a normal sense of well-being. "

Just as things appeared to stabilise mid-2025, another setback followed - an oblique injury sustained in Korea. "I felt I was playing well from the World Championships and Hong Kong, and then again there was a break," he told myKhel further.

That cycle of recovery and relapse has forced Prannoy to accept a new reality. "I'll have to accept that things are going to be like this in the next few years," he said honestly. "When you get into a certain age bracket, injuries take much more time. Earlier, a niggle meant one or two days out. Now it's 10-15 days. " Still, Prannoy insists he is not consumed by worry. Gratitude, he says, has replaced frustration.

That mindset shift has come just in time for the India Open 2026 - an event Prannoy will feature in following late withdrawals in men's singles. With world No. 1 and reigning world champion Shi Yu Qi pulling out after retiring in the Malaysia Open final against Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and compatriot Weng Hong Yang also withdrawing, additional main-draw slots opened up on the eve of the tournament.

Exclusive: HS Prannoy Opens Up on 2026 Plans, Asian Games Ambitions and World Championships on Home Soil.#HSPrannoy #IndianBadminton #MyKhel pic.twitter.com/Q2ZofGhvpU

- myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) January 12, 2026

Currently ranked world No. 36, Prannoy was promoted into the Super 750 main draw, earning a valuable opportunity to compete at home and collect crucial ranking points.

Rather than seeing it as luck, Prannoy views the India Open as a reward for persistence. "It's a really exciting start to the year," he said. "We've evolved from a Super 300 to Super 500 and now to a Super 750, in a bigger stadium and in line with the World Championships later this year. That makes the entire year more interesting. "

From a personal standpoint, however, Prannoy remains grounded. "The challenges are really tough for me because men's singles is extremely tight right now," he explained. "Even getting an entry into Super 750 or Super 1000 events has become very difficult. "

As a result, Prannoy has narrowed his focus. "I'm not looking too far ahead. Just one or two months in the calendar and trying to prepare as much as I can - physically more than anything. "

That emphasis on fitness marks a clear shift in priorities. "Game-wise, I've always been there," Prannoy said. "The physical part has been fluctuating. So the goal is to be physically there and give myself a chance in any tournament I enter. " He admitted that belief was missing last year. "Probably the belief was not there in 2025. But to be back again and playing, I think it's good. "

Beyond his own journey, Prannoy also addressed the broader state of Indian men's singles. While Lakshya Sen remains the standout performer, consistency from others has been elusive. According to Prannoy, the issue lies less in talent and more in opportunity. "The juniors are ready," he said, singling out Ayush Shetty for his strong performances post-2023. "But it's not easy to break into the top 30 and have a result-oriented year. "

The current ranking system, Prannoy believes, compounds the challenge. "If you're injured for a couple of months, you're out of the top 30. Even top players like Ginting or Axelsen have dropped after injuries. You just can't hold on to rankings for long," he explained. In such a landscape, Prannoy feels India must invest more deliberately in transition.

"We need to give more opportunities to the juniors," he stressed. "And we need more chances to spar together - all the top players. " According to Prannoy, such shared training environments have been missing in recent times but could play a decisive role in improving results going forward.

As he steps onto court at the India Open 2026, Prannoy carries with him the weight of experience - bronze medals at the 2023 World Championships and 2022 Asian Games, and memories of being part of India's historic Thomas Cup triumph in 2022. More importantly, he carries a renewed sense of perspective.

"I just need to enjoy what I'm getting right now," Prannoy said. "I'm really grateful for the opportunities. If I can get some good results in the weeks where I'm fully fit, I think the rest will take care of itself. "

For HS Prannoy, India Open 2026 is not just another tournament. It is a reminder that belief can be rebuilt, one honest training session - and one chance - at a time.