New Delhi. Indian badminton star Gayatri Gopichand's confidence has strengthened further after winning the bronze medal in the BWF World Championship 2026. Gayatri, who performed brilliantly with Trisa Jolly, believes that now becoming a world champion is not an impossible dream.
Treesa and Gayatri created history by becoming the first Indian women's doubles pair to win a medal at the World Badminton Championships in the last 15 years. However, their journey ended with a defeat in the semi-finals against world No. 1 Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Have defeated the world's top pairs
Gayatri said that wins and good performances against the world's top pairs in the last few years have boosted her confidence. According to him, Trisa-Gayatri are now capable of challenging the best pairs of the world.
He said that after the Philippines Challenge, the team got good momentum and by the time they reached the World Championship, the self-confidence of both the players had increased a lot.
Gayatri told that before the start of the tournament she did not have much hope of a bronze medal. His goal was just to give his 100 percent on the court, enjoy the game and perform better.
Semi-final defeat taught a lesson of patience
Treesa and Gayatri won the first game against China's No. 1 pair, but then lost the match after losing three consecutive games.
According to Gayatri, this match taught her that patience is very important to perform consistently against the world's top pairs. He admitted that after the first game, both of them lost a bit of patience and tried to score points quickly.
He says that the world number-1 and number-2 pairs do not give points easily and one has to play with patience for every point against them.
Partnership with Treesa strengthened
Gayatri also cited her partnership with Tressa Jolly as important in her success. He said that both have different playing styles and this difference compensates for each other's shortcomings on the court.
According to Gayatri, Treesa plays aggressively and her presence is clearly visible on the court. The different temperaments and playing styles of both have made their pair strong.
Journey from singles to doubles
This medal is also special for Gayatri because she had switched from singles to doubles in her career. He said that if 15 year old Gayatri had seen this journey today, perhaps she would not have believed that she has left singles and joined doubles and is winning a World Championship medal.
According to her, she felt proud and happy with herself.
Return after injuries boosted confidence
The last phase was full of injuries, but after her comeback, Gayatri's confidence has increased further after winning a medal in the World Championship.
He said that this medal does not completely change his goals, but it has given him confidence that things can be different now and greater achievements can be achieved in the future.
Father Pullela Gopichand also remained with him.
Gayatri's father and India's veteran badminton coach Pullela Gopichand also kept guiding her from outside the court. However, according to Gayatri, he does not get any special concession during the match because he is a father.
He told that during the match, Gopichand talks strictly like all the players. His most important message during the World Championship was – stay calm and enjoy the game.
Now eyeing the world title
The bronze medal has given confidence to Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand that they can make a place among the best pairs in the world. With the lessons learned from the semi-final defeat and increased confidence, the next big challenge for the Indian pair will now be to move towards becoming world champions.
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