Having pulled out of the fight for the top position in BAI’s selection trials following a fitness issue, former world number 11 Sameer Verma said he will be out of action for a few weeks and is eyeing a return at Thailand Open.
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“I had some issue with hip muscle and also shoulder. It is not anything serious but I didn’t want to take a chance. The competition is tough and you just cannot win matches if you are not 100 per cent fit,” Sameer told PTI on the sidelines of the trials.
“I will take a few weeks’ break. I hope to play at Thailand Open.”
The Indian team will play at the Asian Badminton Championships beginning on April 26, followed by the Thomas and Uber Cup (May 8-15, Bangkok).
The Thailand Open Super 500 is scheduled from May 17 to 22 in Bangkok.
The 27-year-old from Madhya Pradesh looked in good touch during the Denmark Open last year when he notched up convincing wins over Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen before retiring from the quarterfinals with a calf injury.
He played the French Open Super 750 as well next week, only to withdraw again in the second round. He focussed on his recovery in the next two months before turning up in the first two events in the Indian leg — India Open Super 500 and Syed Modi International Super 300.
He lost in the first round at All England, before signing off at the Swiss Open quarters.
With the selection trials called to pick the teams for the Thomas & Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8, Birmingham) and Asian Games (Hangzhou, September 10-25), Sameer decided to play and also reached the top 4 before withdrawing.
“I didn’t want to make the same mistake I made at Denmark Open last year,” he signed off.
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