Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s racquet work at the net needs minor tweaking ahead of Paris Olympics | Badminton News

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy didn’t quite know until a hoot of a video interaction about their memes with the Bridge website recently, what the comic-book staple ‘kryptonite’ implied.Confidence is their cape. And vulnerabilities don’t exactly loom on his and fellow-superperson Chirag Shetty’s legend easily, as they forge ahead with eternal ‘apna time aayega’ optimism. In beating Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-13, 24-22 to kick off the French Open, there was little cause of concern at the Porte de LA Chapelle arena.
Yet, like the jagged, green krypronite, there is an awkward, pointy part of the formidable Satwik’s game, that can suddenly cut short their flying. It’s not a particular opponent. And nothing insurmountable for the hugely talented 23-year-old. It might only need the tiniest technical adjustments sorted out canny coach Mathias Boe. But having lost three consecutive tournament finals at China, Malaysia and India, and with a good chance of running into Aaron-Soh or Kang-Seo in the semis at Paris, the Indians might want to cover their bases against the wretched green thing. It’s Satwik’s racquet-work at the net, especially playing the angled returns and the round the heads.

Like kryptonite, Satwik’s shot making at the net only marginally weakens what is an otherwise exceptionally strong and fearsome all-court game. His big smash can shut down every single chirping of any team. His mid-court placement lobs to the opponent’s back court, drops and drives are highly dependable as Plan B if he can’t rain down pure hailstorm. Perhaps the duo’s inimitable and un-counterable combination attack is the S-C 1-2: a thunder smash from Satwik that strains and drains out opponent’s defensive wits so much in digging it out, that the Chirag follow-up smash, equally booming, buries all resance.
But time and again, opponents and the game of doubles demand that Satwik is summoned to the net for front court marshalling. It’s where the green kryptonite crystals begin to gnaw at his ceaseless offensives.
Of the 42 points scored the Indians against Ong-Teo, a good 12 winners actually came from Satwik’s racquet at the net. It’s a good percentage. But 8 errors into the net with him stationed at the forecourt, also gave the Malaysians a needless look-in.
That he even proactively is learning to take charge at the net, and allow Chirag to hover from the back, is a sign of the big beast willing to step out his comfort zone, when he could’ve simply cannon-balled from his stomping ground the back court. No one has an attack as grand as Satwik in the world. The net-responsibility even cramps his style. But the Indian pairing is chasing complete well-roundedness and in doing that the big lad needs to hunker down and go about skirmishing with covering-fire snipes and pokes.

Satwik has a bright badminton brain, and innate understanding of the flow of the game. He fetches up at the net perfectly when the need be. But the racquet skills can be a tad too tentative or restrained or simply scared of making makes, hence lacking in certainty.
The Indians barely trailed against Ong-Teo. But in allowing them an inlet from 10-17 down to level at 18-18, they allowed for a risk to sneak in. Make no make, it’s not Satwik’s defense that is found wanting. Just the sharpness of put-aways.
He rolls the racquet for a switch in backhand forehand grip fast enough. The stopper straight racquet backhand blocks, taps and pushes too flow seamlessly. But it’s when he’s trying to manoeuvre the shuttle around with the forehand in net exchanges, that Satwik can flounder. Either his wr locks awkwardly or the bird rushes on him as he sticks his racquet out or the wr can’t guide it precisely into gaps. But the diagonal and horizontal racquet forehand jabs, are prone to land in the net.
Unlike Chirag who’s mastered the forecourt aggression, Satwik’s round-the-heads from short lengths, also lack the snap-acceleration that brings Chirag’s kill winners. Satwik is just a tad circumspect in unleashing aggression. Perhaps he’s fearlful of the power he can generate.
A very visible difference between Satwik at the net, and someone like Seo Seung-jae or Aaron Chia or even Chirag is their receiving stance. The Koreans and Malaysians as well as Chirag tend to stand diagonal – one foot ahead of the other and the body at an angle. It not only reduces the torque pressures on the body in imparting angles on the shuttle. But the hypotenuse like playing position also aids quicker lateral striding movement to the back of the court if need be. The diagonally flexible fleet-footedness frees up the floating around the court.

Satwik though, plonks himself at the net with an open stance – both feet firmly in straight line, parallel to the net. It forces him to contort severely for the round-the-heads at the net which come at him at blitzing pace, and shorten his reaction time window. He scrambles, and gets the shuttle back. But not with venom of power, pace or placement that the net-killers do.

The tall big built shuttler also commits his weight balance to defend at the net, like a parked boulder that will stop waves of attack. He got into that position with feet parked from 17-11 onwards in the second set, and the Malaysians sniffed a chance. To his credit, in the longest rally at 9-8, it was a Satwik net winner that put India ahead. But the desired mobile half side-on stance, standing angled at 45 to the net, might give him better court coverage and variety on his stroke options – to create, preserve or destroy in a rally.

Satwik’s default setting is attack from the back. And it might only be a matter of confidence before he matches Chirag in scything at the net with the same venom, with tweaks to footwork, and horizontal racquet skills. Superman doesn’t live in fear of kryptonite, but there’s a different shade of green that another super-hero digs. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy only needs to hulk out at the net, and dismiss puny godlings.