INDIAN badminton ace PV Sindhu has secured a place in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals in December and insisted that age is no barrier to competing at the highest level as “31 is the new 21”. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, is a central figure of the “golden generation” of women’s singles players, including top global stars such as Carolina Marin, Nozomi Okuhara, Ratchanok Intanon and Tai Tzu-ying. The Indian is currently fifth in the World Tour qualification rankings and the top eight make the cut for the season finale.

 

The 31-year-old from Hyderabad on Sunday claimed her second title of the season at the Hylo Open Super 500, having won the Japan Open in July and finished runner-up at the French Open last month. Her recent run has helped her climb to sixth in the overall world rankings ahead of the World Tour Finals in China from December 9 to 13. “I’m happy that I’ve climbed into the top six now. I just feel that if you keep doing well, you automatically start winning and your ranking also comes up. If you perform well and win tournaments, you don’t have to think only about the ranking. It will automatically improve,” Sindhu said.