Ace India shuttler and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has announced former Malaysian shuttler Muhammad Hafiz Hashim as her new coach.
Earlier in February this year, Sindhu had parted ways with her former coach, Korea’s Park Tae-Sang.
Sindhu had been training on and off with Hafiz Hashim at Hyderabad’s Suchitra Badminton Academy (SBA) since her split with the South Korean but only announced him officially as her coach late on Tuesday.
“HERE WE GO!! In typical Fabrizio style, I am thrilled to announce Hafiz Hashim as my new coach!! After a long, drawn-out process, I am ecstatic to declare that I have chosen the incredible Hafiz Hashim as my coach. Hafiz possesses all the traits I was seeking in a coach, including the height, speed, and an attacking instinct,” wrote Sindhu on Twitter along with her picture with the new coach.
“As a former all England champion in 2003, he sure has the pedigree as well. Having coach Sidek as his old coach, just add this aura to him. I extend a warm welcome aboard, Coach Hashim. Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a hell of a journey with captain Hafiz at the helm!!” she added.
Hafiz Hashim comes as a full-time coach when the Sindhu has dropped down to world No. 17 in the latest women’s singles BWF rankings, which is her lowest ranking since January 2013.
According to reports, the 28-year-old had formally requested the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to approve Hafiz Hashim as her coach last month and her proposal to appoint the Malaysian as her coach till the Paris 2024 Olympics was accepted last Thursday.
Hashim has already flown from New Delhi to Yeosu, where Sindhu is playing in the Korea Open and he will be travelling with Sindhu for the upcoming Japan Open, Australian Open and the Asian Games.
As a player, Muhammad Hafiz Hashim has won a number of medals at the Asian Games, Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup with Team Malaysia.
His individual successes include a singles title at the 2003 All England Open and a Commonwealth Games singles gold medal at Manchester 2002.
After retiring from the sport, Hafiz took up coaching with the Academy Badminton Malaysia in December last year before moving to Hyderabad in February this year and his initial challenge will be to get back the Indian in form as she has endured a poor season so far and failed to win a single title on the BWF World Tour.
Since the gold medal win at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, Sindhu has struggled to find consistency. She had returned to action at the Malaysian Open and Indian Open this year however, she had suffered first-round exits in both of the tournaments.
In the 11 BWF World Tour 2023 competitions she has been a part of this year, Sindhu has crashed out in the first round on five occasions and made second round exits in two more.