Badminton | Rithvik attributes recent success to an improvement in his net game

Indian shuttler Rithvik Sanjeevi, who scored a hard-fought 17-21, 23-21, 21-16 win over Croatia’s Aria Dinata to clinch the title at the 2026 Valence Alpes International in France recently, attributed his success to an improvement in his net game, which he had long identified as a weakness.

“My net game improved from match to match. I was able to read the shuttle earlier and create openings to finish the rally. My net play and attack were on point throughout the tournament,” said Rithvik.

The title run was built on consistency and composure. Rithvik eased past France’s Arthur Chardain 21-19, 21-8 and Amaury Lièvre 21-12, 21-15 before overcoming Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko 21-17, 14-21, 21-10 in the quarterfinals. He then edged Denmark’s William Bogebjerg 21-14, 18-21, 21-17 in the semifinals to set up a title clash that tested both his tactical awareness and resilience.

Despite dropping the opening game in the final, Rithvik never felt the contest was slipping away.

“I always think that I can catch up from anywhere. It doesn’t matter what the score is. If every player has that mindset, I guess they can achieve anything,” he said.

The Indian revealed that he had studied Dinata’s game beforehand but deliberately kept his own attacking instincts in check early in the match. “I initially kept the shuttle in play. I didn’t want to use all my strengths at the start because I wanted to understand his game better. Dinata played a very clean first game, so it took me a while to recalibrate. After changing my game plan in the second game, I played the third with confidence,” said Rithvik, who is now 77th in the BWF rankings.

The triumph marks another significant milestone for the Chennai-born shuttler, whose career has been interrupted by injuries, including a meniscus tear that required surgery during the Covid lockdown and Grade 3 ankle ligament injuries in 2023 and 2024.

With the confidence of an international title behind him, Rithvik has now set his sights on breaking into the world’s top 50, while keeping his longer-term dream of winning an Olympic gold medal firmly in view.