Tanvi Patri, who is just 13 years old, India has come up with a genuinely bright prospect in women`s singles badminton. Badminton has had great champions in Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu but the sport always needs fresh talent to keep its competitive spirit alive. With the victories, Tanvi has emerged as a badminton star to watch out for and her achievements are an indication of a rejuvenation which Indian badminton has been aching for.
Tanvi was also crowned Asian U-15 champion in Chengdu, China in August 2024 after remaining unbeaten in five matches. Two weeks later, she also confirmed her status by winning both U-15 and U-17 titles at the sub-junior Nationals in Chennai, only losing one game out of 12 played. Badminton community across the globe also taking note of her performance with Dronacharya Awardee and Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) director U. Vimal Kumar terming it as ‘fantastic’ for a junior player. He pointed out that there have been other past players who have done well at the Asian level, Samiya Imad Farooqui and Tasnim Mir for instance but Tanvi’s results in national tournaments and selection trials had been consistent in recent times.
Tanvi started playing badminton in Shanghai,China, when she was six year old where her father was working. From the probability of it, her decisive years were spent under the guidance of Chinese coach Jiang Yong Yi known for grooming Olympians, and World Championship medalists. She moved back to India in 2022, joined the PPBA in Bengaluru and her game improved with experienced coaches around her.
Not making unnecessary mistakes is one of Tanvi’s greatest qualities, something her coaches have even noticed about her game. Vimal Kumar pointed out her maturity which is not common in a player of 16 years as other players tend to lose their nerves and cannot control the game.
She also tries to attend VICTOR Axelsen’s (double Olympic Champion and former World No. 1) shots and be calm like him while hitting the smash, which she admires over his skills. It is a wish of the badminton community that as they shine in their future, another generation will soon enter this badminton scene where nothing less than gold was achieved for India day after day and week after week.