“They say you’re the city of love, and I can’t tell you how much I love you.” That was Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s caption for his Instagram post in March last year after he and Chirag Shetty won their second French Open title. It is something of a tradition for both Satwik and Chirag to post photos in front of the Eiffel Tower after their visit to Paris. It’s a city where they have had many memorable moments throughout their careers. In 2019, they put together a sensational run ,beating their idols, the Daddies, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the second round, and then accounting for two more dangerous pairs on their way to a final. Then came the two titles in 2022 and 2024, the latter in the tune-up for the Paris Olympics, establishing themselves as one of the medal favourites.
But what’s love without heartbreak? At the Olympic Games, where they carried the hopes of Indian badminton and were seen as even contenders for gold, they suffered a quarterfinals defeat. This week at the BWF World Championships, they return to the same venue – the Adidas Arena – once more as India’s best bet for a medal. India have won at least one medal in each of the last 10 editions of the sport’s most prestigious event apart from the Olympics.
“We’ve just always liked it, and there’s a connection with the French crowd. We’ve played really well, and that run is here to stay. One thing we always do is visit the Eiffel Tower, and if we win, we go there with the title trophy. It’s the City of Lights and also the City of Love; we genuinely love the vibe there. I learnt French for 4 years in school, but I can barely speak a word,” Chirag had told The Indian Express in an interview before the Olympics.
“Everyone has a favourite tournament, ours is the French Open. We always play well in Paris. The home crowd supports us. The food is good as well, and there’s good weather to go out and have something to eat. It’s not too hot, not too cold. So we can just go for a walk. We have a good history there,” Satwik had added.
Just one forgettable tournament doesn’t suddenly change that narrative, but it just so happens to be the biggest one of their careers yet. After the Tokyo heartbreak in 2021 – where they were the only pair to defeat the eventual champions but didn’t get out of the Group of Death by the smallest margins – Satwik-Chirag went on win bronze in the subsequent World Championships at the same venue one year later. That’s a good omen they can tap into.
Off-court issues
Since Paris 2024, however, both of them have had to work through off-court issues. “As far as life-changing years ago, 2024 will be right up there for me,” Satwik wrote for Indian Express at year-end. “It was all going good until suddenly, out of nowhere, I had a back injury, from nowhere I had an elbow tear….”
He also spoke about how it was more difficult for Chirag at times, for a while, they had to manage their training routines and such after coach Mathias Boe had left. There was a lot of uncertainty. Then, earlier this year, Satwik had to deal with the loss of his father. As he started to make his way back from all the turmoil, Chirag suffered a back injury that led to them pulling out of All England midway. It was followed by another spell away from tournaments till the Singapore Open.
Story continues below this ad
But having worked through all that, they have still been India’s most consistent performers on the World Tour. On their day, they still go toe-to-toe with the best in the world – they are, of course, one among those pairs as well, even though they have slid to No 9 in the world. The draw hasn’t been kind, with Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik – two pairs they have struggled against – possibly obstructing their path to the podium. If they are able to click together, both fit at the same time and not battling niggles, there is no reason why they can’t find love in Paris once more.
