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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Hounslow, ENG |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Team Derby [National Badminton League]: Derby, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Travelling, listening to music, watching films, supporting English football club Liverpool, playing computer games. (rajivouseph.co.uk, 18 Jun 2014; badmintonengland.co.uk, 29 Mar 2016) |
| Injuries | He was suffering from a leg injury in February 2015 but recovered to compete at that year's All England Championships in Birmingham. (badmintonengland.co.uk, 05 Mar 2015) He has suffered from Achilles problems. (thisislondon.co.uk, 04 Aug 2011) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | He does the sign of the cross before every match. (bwfbadminton.org, 03 Jun 2016) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Winning silver at the 2014 European Championships and becoming the first player to win seven straight England national men's singles titles. (badmintonengland.co.uk, 29 Mar 2016; bbc.co.uk, 26 Apr 2014; rajivouseph.co.uk, 18 Jun 2014) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | His father Joe and his older sisters Reshmi and Rajanwas were keen badminton players. They would play at the local badminton club as a family. "I took up the sport as it was a chance to hang out with dad as that's what he loved, still loves, doing. I think I took it up quite quickly compared to my sisters. I was lucky as I was actually quite good from a young age and, when you're good at something, it helps you enjoy it." |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, Danish badminton player Peter Gade, and People's Republic of China badminton player Lin Dan. (bbc.co.uk, 14 Apr 2010; thisislondon.co.uk, 04 Aug 2011; bwfbadminton.org, 03 Jun 2016) |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and to win an Olympic medal. (bbc.co.uk, 9 Feb 2014; badmintonengland.co.uk, 29 Mar 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Jakob Hoi [national], DEN; Donna Kellogg [club]; Julia Mann [club] |
| Handedness | Right |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began playing badminton at age nine at a local club in London, England. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | England |
| Location | Thessaloniki, GRE |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "In our sport there's only two people, so if you're not winning then you're losing." (telegraph.co.uk, 21 Jun 2011) |
| Other information | PREMIER BADMINTON LEAGUE He has represented the Delhi Acers in the Premier Badminton League, an Indian badminton tournament modelled on Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket. He won the decisive singles match to win the 2016 Premier Badminton League title. “It is a very exciting tournament, with dancers and music, and Bollywood actors and actresses watching. Because my parents are Indian everybody speaks Hindi to me and I have no idea what they are saying.” (ft.com, 08 Apr 2016) STUDIES He lasted five months studying media at Loughborough University before he realised it would not be possible to mix his studies and a career as a professional badminton player. "I missed the first three weeks because of a tournament. I was only there 15 to 20% of the time and was always playing catch-up, so I chose to focus on badminton. If I had my time again I would probably try to get my degree straight after school and then concentrate on badminton." (telegraph.co.uk, 21 Jun 2011; thisislondon.co.uk, 04 Aug 2011) |
| Famous relatives | He is engaged to Kate Robertshaw, a fellow international British badminton player. (Facebook profile, 01 May 2016) |
| Most influential person in career | His father and the national singles coaches. (bwfbadminton.org, 03 Jun 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
| Family | Engaged to Kate Robertshaw |