Mumbai: World No. 2 men’s singles player Kidambi Srikanth of India has withdrawn from the China Open that will be held from November 14 to November 19 after aggravating a leg injury during India’s Senior National Badminton Championships last week.
“My doctor has asked me to take a rest after a muscle strain that happened in the Nationals. Therefore, I have decided to skip the China Open and I expect to fully recover from the discomfort in one week,” said Srikanth.
Srikanth who lost to HS Prannoy in the final of the India National Championship has confirmed that he will participate in the Hong Kong Open where if he plays well, he will have the chance to reach the World No. 1 ranking.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) however have denied Srikanth’s injury at the India Nationals was caused by playing in too many tournaments in a short period of time.
“It’s not truth that the Nationals were responsible for his injury,” said BAI secretary general Anup Narang.
“The dates were decided after discussions with the top players and they were willing to play in the Nationals. Otherwise, many of them would have playing at the Macau Open right now,” added Narang.
Srikanth has been playing non-stop badminton since October 18, and has picked up the Denmark Open and French Open titles in two weeks.
