Mastering mind and attack: Coach Tan's recipe for Satwik-Chirag's world title bid

Reunited with architect Tan Kim Her, star duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are chasing home glory at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. They hope to peak at the right time after overcoming Satwik's shoulder injury.Satwik-Chirag rebuild under Tan Kim Her ahead of BWF World Championships in New DelhiNearly a decade after Malaysian tactician Tan Kim Her first brought two towering teenagers together to forge India's greatest doubles partnership, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stand on the cusp of another career milestone. As the duo prepare to spearhead India's challenge at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, their story has moved far beyond potential. It is now one of resilience, psychological recalibration and physical survival.Having reunited with Tan 18 months ago for his second stint as India's chief doubles coach, Satwik and Chirag have quietly rebuilt their empire. The road back from the heartbreak of the Paris Olympics, where the former World No. 1s bowed out under the suffocating weight of medal expectations, has been painstaking. Yet, after climbing back to No. 5 in the world rankings and ending a two-year World Tour title drought at the Singapore Open Super 750 in May, the pair once again appear to be approaching their peak.The triumph in Singapore served as a timely reminder of what Satwik and Chirag can achieve when fully fit and firing. Their trademark power game, built around relentless attacking badminton, remains one of the most formidable weapons on the circuit.Sustaining that level, however, has required careful management. Unlike many of their rivals, who compete in 18 to 20 tournaments a season, the Indian pair have adopted a carefully managed schedule. At the centre of that strategy is Satwik's troublesome right shoulder, where a recurring muscle tear first sustained in 2018 continues to dictate the pair's tournament calendar. There is, however, one encouraging update. After missing the recent Asian leg of the tour, Satwik is nearing 100 percent in terms of recovering from his shoulder injury."Satwik's shoulder is almost fully recovered now. I think he'll be ready to play when the tournament starts on the 17th," Tan Kim Her said after the draw ceremony in New Delhi. Handed a first-round bye, the fifth seeds will begin their campaign against either Thailand's Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-nga or Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle.Should they progress as expected, Satwik and Chirag are likely to face experienced Danes Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, the 16th seeds, in the third round before a potential quarter-final against China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, the third seeds. The Indians trail the Chinese pair 4-9 in their head-to-head record and have lost their last two meetings.But that can wait.INJURY AND MENTAL BLOCK Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been seeded 5th at World Championships (Badminton Photo) While tactical plans can always be refined on the practice court, managing physical vulnerability remains Tan's biggest concern. Satwik's troublesome shoulder continues to shape the pair's campaign."Game-wise, they are getting better. Their confidence is okay. What has been bothering them, and me, is the injury," Tan said."Especially Satwik's shoulder. The tear has been there since 2018. It's been on and off over the years. Hopefully, this time he can overcome it. That's my main concern."The recurring shoulder problem has also shaped India's scheduling strategy. Rather than chasing ranking points, the coaching staff have deliberately reduced Satwik and Chirag's workload in a bid to keep them fresh for the biggest events."Most other pairs are playing 18 or 19 tournaments in a season, but their performances keep fluctuating," Tan said."I think our pair has been quite consistent because they've been playing fewer tournaments and skipping some events. Both of them are very committed and very disciplined, but when it comes to injuries, there's not much you can do."Beyond physical fitness, the mental challenge of elite badminton has demanded equal attention. Reflecting on the team's struggles at the India Open earlier this year, Tan said pressure often stemmed from an unhealthy obsession with results rather than execution."In January, we didn't play well," Tan recalled."We trained well and we had a very good draw, but there was a little bit of a mental block. Then, after March, we had injuries again. We kept coming back and then getting interrupted again. When it keeps happening like that, it becomes very difficult."Asked to explain the mental block, Tan pointed to the burden of expectation."Sometimes the pressure comes from thinking, 'You have to win. You have to win.' It was the same during the Olympics. Everyone expected them to win a medal. Expectations became too high. The important thing is how you manage yourself and how you handle that pressure."The pair have been working with a sports psychologist to reframe that mindset, particularly with the added expectations of competing before a home crowd in New Delhi."I don't think they should feel pressure," Tan said."This is where working with the psychologist helps. The way they should think is that this is our home, the crowd is behind us, and we should play with confidence. That's the mindset."The weight of those expectations has followed the pair off the court as well. In May, Satwik and Chirag sparked a wider conversation after expressing disappointment over the muted reception they received on returning home with India's Thomas Cup bronze medal. Their social media posts, followed by clarifications from Satwik that they were not seeking "money or grand parades", but greater recognition for achievements in sports beyond cricket, underlined the scrutiny and emotional burden that often accompanies India's most successful men's doubles pair.ONE MATCH AT A TIMEWith the World Championships immediately followed by the Asian Games, where Satwik and Chirag will defend their title, Tan's coaching philosophy is built around maintaining a narrow focus and peaking when it matters most."I keep telling them to stay calm and take it one match at a time," Tan said."It's okay if you don't win every tournament. That's normal. What matters is peaking at the right time for the major tournaments."Tan believes the modern men's doubles landscape is defined by fine margins, where the opening exchanges often determine the outcome of a rally. In his view, there is only one pair that has managed to maintain remarkable consistency amid the unpredictability of the discipline."The only pair I see that has been really consistent is the Korean pair," Tan said.#WATCH | Delhi: On the Indian team's preparation for the BWF World Championships 2026, Indian National Team Doubles Coach Tan Kim Her says, “What I can tell the players is to take one match at a time. When it comes to doubles competition, of course, the spotlight is on Satwik pic.twitter.com/ChS8rS9a78— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2026Barring an early exit at the India Open, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae have reached the business end of almost every tournament this season, winning the All England Open and the Badminton Asia Championships. They sit atop the BWF men's doubles rankings with 119,899 points, more than 25,000 clear of Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in second. Satwik and Chirag are fifth with 84,131 points."Other seeded pairs have all been going up and down," Tan said.Explaining what sets the Koreans apart, the veteran coach pointed to their all-round game."The Korean pair is so consistent because everything about their game is solid. Their serving is good, their return of serve is good, their defence is very strong and their attack is also good. Overall, they're complete players."While acknowledging the Koreans' superiority in defence, Tan made it clear that Satwik and Chirag will not abandon the aggressive style that has made them one of the most feared pairs on the circuit."If you compare our defence with the Koreans, I think the Koreans are much better," Tan said."That said, our game is built differently. We try to control the rally through attack. Around 60 per cent of our game is attacking badminton. If we are able to attack first, then we have a very good chance of winning."For Tan, attack alone is not enough. Confidence will ultimately determine how far the Indian pair go in New Delhi."If Satwik and Chirag are in good form on the day, they can beat anyone," he said."For them, self-confidence and mental preparation are the most important things. If they are mentally strong, they can beat anyone, as we saw at the Singapore Open. But if they are not mentally strong on the day, they can lose to anyone."We cannot win every tournament. Everyone knows that. The important thing is to peak at the right time and perform in the major tournaments."As the fifth seeds with a first-round bye, Satwik and Chirag will shoulder the hopes of a nation eager to witness a home triumph at the World Championships. Inside the Indian camp, however, the approach remains deliberately uncomplicated.Tan, the man who first saw the potential in the partnership nearly a decade ago, knows grand narratives count for little once the shuttle is in play. The objective is not to chase redemption for Paris or get carried away by expectations of home glory.Instead, his message is simple: take one match at a time, trust the process and peak when it matters most.- EndsPublished By: Amar PanickerPublished On: Aug 6, 2026 11:17 IST