Silver feels special, but I need to work on endurance and net play: Tanvi Sharma

Guwahati, Oct 19 (PTI) A silver medal at the World Junior Championships on home soil brought immense joy for India's rising shuttler Tanvi Sharma, but she was quick to look beyond celebration, identifying endurance, net play, and mental resilience as key areas of improvements before her next big test.

The 16-year-old, who followed in the footsteps of former world No.1 Saina Nehwal and Aparna Popat to become only the third Indian female shuttler to reach the final of the tournament, lost 7-15 12-15 to the second-seeded Thai Anyapat Phichitpreechasak here on Sunday.

"I was very, very happy with the silver medal but a little disappointed that I didn't get the gold," Tanvi said.

"It means a lot to me because before this tournament, I didn't even expect a medal. I wasn't in good form, but as the matches went on, I started playing my game and I was playing really well." Tanvi, who trains at the National Centre of Excellence where the tournament was held, said the silver carried special meaning.

"It's very memorable for me — playing in my home ground, where I train with my coach every day. It was my coach's dream that I play in a final, and I played this one for him," said the Punjab shuttler, who trains under Park Tae-sang, who had guided PV Sindhu to a bronze at Tokyo Olympics.

Despite her strong showing through the week, Tanvi admitted that her loss in the final was a lesson in physical and tactical resilience.

"My coach always tells me to stay inside the game, play rallies, and focus on getting points through consistency. But sometimes I make small mistakes — like one-stroke errors — that cost me.

"I need to work on my net play and my endurance on court. That's something I'll really focus on.

"Every time I lose, I learn something new. I've lost finals before — like at the US Open and the Odisha Open — but I take them as lessons. Of course, it hurts, but I'll stay strong mentally and tell myself, maybe next time," she added.

Her opponent, Aniyapath, earned praise too.

"She has improved her game a lot from last season. Her smashes were very good, the half-smashes were amazing, and her drops were excellent. She was hitting really well today." For Tanvi, who dedicated the medal to her coach and mother, the week was also emotionally fulfilling.

"All credit goes to my coach and my mom. They did a lot for me. My coach was very happy after yesterday's match. He told me, 'Don't think about winning or losing, just play your game'." I think all credit goes to them," she said.

The teenager, who calls Sindhu her inspiration, said she learnt the art of powerful smashes from her mother. PTI ATK ATK AH AH