'His hard work and dedication has paid off'

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

"I was expecting him to win but the way he played today was authoritative," said Gopichand's first coach Mohammed Arif of his ward's victory in the All England Badminton Championship at Birmingham on Sunday.

The Hyderabad-based Arif said, "It is one of the happiest days of my life. He was down in the beginning but as his opponent started slowing down, he started dictating terms."

"Not only did he bring laurels to India but he will be an example for other badminton players in the country. It is only dedication and hard work which has brought Gopichand to this level. For a long time, I have been telling that he has got the capacity to beat anybody in the world and he is proving that now," Arif said.

"Gopichand was about 11 or 12 years old in 1985 when he started with me. Right from the beginning, I noted that he has that aggressive approach to the game. He wanted to jump and smash, which is what the modern game is about. I started moulding him on these lines," Arif recalled.

"Moreover, whenever other players used to stop, he wanted to continue. That helped him excel. Right from the beginning, whenever he was losing, he used to get jittery and irritated. I always used to push him to go and win," Arif said.

The coach recalled, "In February 1994, during the national games at Pune, he sustained a big injury, colliding with his partner in doubles and he was operated for a ligament rupture at a hospital in Delhi. This kept him away from the game for almost about six months and slowly he started picking up but his progress was hampered for a year."

"Slowly, he came back to his form. Again, in 1997, in Scotland, while playing the World Championships, he sustained a small injury which kept him away for two months. But he bounced back and has never looked back. Many people never play after such a major operation (in 1994) but he is a very determined and dedicated player," he said.

Arif said, "When Gopi was on bed after the operation, he asked me 'Sir, many people are writing me off, what is your feeling?' I told him that I believe in the Almighty and had faith in Gopi to come back. The way he did, I am happy."

"I am proud of him. I wish he does well in the two major upcoming international events -- the Grand Prix Final at Brunei in the first week of April and the World Championship in Spain in May-end," he said.

You may also want to read
Gopichand wins All-England Championships
Gopichand's win good, says Padukone
Gopichand enters final
Gopichand enters semi-finals
Gopichand raises Indian hopes

INTERVIEW
'Today I am not afraid of any player on the circuit'