Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy got here agonisingly shut to pulling off a significant upset earlier than bowing out of the BWF World Championships with a gruelling second-round loss to world No. 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark.
The 2023 bronze-medallist fought for almost an hour and half-hour earlier than taking place 8-21, 21-17, 21-23 regardless of holding two match factors on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) night time.
“Played a few bad shots towards the end. I should have kept a little more energy and tried to be on the attacking side. In the last 3-4 points, I felt he was on the attack and I gave him a few easy smashes that probably changed the game.
“I ought to have taken just a few extra probabilities on the internet and performed patiently,(*2*)Losing match factors all the time hurts, particularly in huge occasions. One match can change the course of a event. Beating any individual in kind provides you a large number of confidence, however if you’re on the opposite facet it takes your complete effort away and also you begin doubting your self once more.
“I really didn’t want to be in that situation,” he added.
The 2022 Thomas Cup winner, who can be a world and Asian Games bronze-medallist, has been tormented by a sequence of well being setbacks in recent times.
He battled a persistent abdomen dysfunction, a nagging again damage and even contracted chikungunya proper earlier than the Paris Olympics. The 33-year-old had taken a break after the Games.
Opening up on his health struggles, Prannoy mentioned: “I’ve been trying to constantly improve on that front. Game-wise I’m there, I can still play a couple of years more, but fitness-wise I’m not able to keep up with these youngsters.
“The tempo is simply too excessive and typically the physique would not react as I would like it to. It’s a tad slower. That’s half and parcel of the sport — the game is quick and explosive.”
Looking ahead, Prannoy hinted at one final World Championship appearance before his body forces him to take a harder call on his career.
“Probably another. You need to push for a pair extra years, however most could be one, and that too if I stretch actually onerous,” he said.
