​P. Gopi Chand is one of those rare athletes whose coaching legacy has eclipsed their playing career.

A former All England champion, he has been instrumental in establishing a system that produced India’s modern badminton stars, including Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu.

A few years after his now-renowned academy opened its doors, India hosted the World championships for the first time, in his backyard — Hyderabad, in 2009. India was just one of many countries taking part that year, still finding its feet on badminton’s biggest individual stage.

Seventeen years on, the tournament returns to Indian soil, with New Delhi playing host this time.

In those years, the country has bagged 15 medals at the Worlds, including Sindhu’s historic gold in 2019.

Ahead of the showpiece that gets underway on Monday, a conversation with Gopi Chand kept circling back to a question he has fielded for years, in one form or another: how do you measure today’s generation against his own? His answer was unambiguous: you don’t.

“I think it would be very unfair to compare or even think of comparisons. Today’s challenges are today’s, and today’s opportunities are today’s. Back in the day, our aspirations and our outlook were limited. Today, the kids are a lot more aware and their horizons are much bigger. They step in with an ‘I want to be a World champion’ kind of attitude,” he told The Hindu.

For Gopi Chand, it’s a shift shaped as much by opportunity as by ambition.

“Back in the day, we wanted to play well, avoid injuries and get a job. That is all we thought about.” That is not the case today. Across generations, there are very different mindsets and aspirations.”

For the 52-year-old, that revelation has also been personal. His daughter, Gayatri, has carved out her own career — and he was careful to draw a line between his achievements and hers.

“She’s done well. She’s a (double) Commonwealth Games medallist, got to two All England semifinals and is the highest-ranked women’s doubles player the country has ever produced. Forget about what I have done. As a parent, that makes me happy and proud. I’m rejoicing at what she’s doing and I don’t want my All England (triumph) to overshadow the phenomenal job she is doing.”

For all the generational gaps he pointed to, Gopi Chand was clear about where Indian badminton goes from here.

“I’m looking forward to the next generation of champions. And India hosting the World championships again should catapult that jump and there’s a huge opportunity for us to propel further”.

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) have traditionally been one of India’s most productive multi-sport events, with the country consistently returning with a healthy medal haul. But at Glasgow 2026, India’s prospects have taken a hit after several sports, including badminton, were dropped from the programme, with organisers holding cost management responsible for the trim.

The decision, understandably, has not gone down well within India’s badminton community, with chief national coach P. Gopi Chand among those disappointed.

“Commonwealth was an important event and badminton not being there in Glasgow was quite shocking. It’s done and dusted for this edition, but we are hoping that in our edition in Ahmedabad (2030), we would have badminton featuring back again. Indian players are stronger than ever, so we do expect some medals from the event as well,” he said in an interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India.

“From an athlete’s perspective, Asian Games are tough for some events, but also there are some events where the participation of countries like Australia, England and Jamaica makes the standard of the Commonwealth Games higher than the Asian Games.”

The CWG is not the only area where badminton has seen change. The sport has also introduced proposals that have split opinion, including a new scoring system and trials involving synthetic shuttlecocks.

“What’s the point of complaining when it’s done? That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t spoken against it,” he quipped.

“For me, the sport has been very, very exciting in the last few years. We have tournaments filled with crowds. The calendar is packed with tournaments, and there was no need for us to mess with the system,” Gopi Chand said, talking about the new 3×15 scoring system replacing the traditional 21-point format.

The 52-year-old was, however, more receptive to the prospect of synthetic shuttlecocks, citing the need to make the sport more sustainable.

Gopi Chand also weighed in on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s remarks about the lack of recognition for badminton players after India’s Thomas Cup bronze medal-winning team returned home to a subdued reception.

Satwik’s comments sparked debate, prompting him to later clarify that he was not asking for “money or grand parades” but simply urging people “to celebrate every win, big or small” across all sports.

“In a lot of ways, I endorse what Satwik said. It’s unfortunate that one of the best players the country has ever produced, especially in doubles, feels that way. We’ve never had anybody reach anywhere close to where they have reached. What he said is genuine. To have them win something big and then not get the recognition which they feel they should is unfortunate,” he explained.

“That said, I genuinely would love to see badminton and other sports being recognised more. But unfortunately, ground reality is that it doesn’t happen. Everybody should lend a hand to ensure that these players’ performances are portrayed better and the visibility is more, so that it is not just fans watching them but also the younger kids taking them as role models and we produce better players for the future.”

(Watch the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV).