The badminton World championships will begin here on Monday, with the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium already buzzing with activity as players sweated it out in their final practice sessions.

The tournament, which runs until August 23, marks the return of the event to India for the first time since 2009.

World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi said: “I feel like the drift… the weather, everything is very well maintained and very good as compared to last time.” She added that the focus over the last few days had been on training rather than obsessing over opponents.

Former Olympic champion Chen Yufei was still not fully fit after retiring injured against P.V. Sindhu at the Japan Open, allowing Sindhu to reach her first final in more than two years.

“It’s better than the last match but I think it’s not 100%,” she said.

Chen played down preparing for any one rival, saying she would focus on each match. That approach could be tested later in the tournament against An Se-young, with whom she has a 14-14 record dating back to 2018. Sindhu has also proved a particularly difficult opponent for Chinese players at the World championships.

Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang are still chasing their first crown, having won bronze in 2023. They spoke of the importance of playing together as a pair, saying they “motivate each other” and quickly move on after mistakes.

Their history with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty makes the potential quarterfinal intriguing. The Liang-Wang duo had won four straight against them before the Indians finally won in Paris last year, only for the Chinese pair to respond with a win at the World Tour Finals.

On the practice courts, the intensity was evident. Sat-Chi sparred with M.R. Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan while Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila trained alongside Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde. Sindhu and Ayush Shetty traded attacking exchanges, with coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama watching on.

With the Badminton World Championships around the corner and the draws now sealed, all eyes are on Ayush Shetty, who has been handed the toughest opening match among all Indian singles players.

Ayush, on his tournament debut, will face World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi. The odds are not in favour of the 21-year-old, having lost all three meetings to date, including the most recent one in the final of the Asian Championships.

“As soon as I got Shi (in the draw), I told myself that I was ready to face anyone. As I’m unseeded, I was prepared to play even the World No. 1. It’s just another match, though I’m aware that it’ll be a really tough battle,” Ayush said in an online interaction.

Despite the daunting task at hand, Ayush cut a confident figure when asked about the rematch, stating that he has analysed all their meetings and is ready for the ‘special’ clash.

“Shi is a really tough opponent to play against. I remember my match against him in the Asian Championships final; he was really prepared. But I think I’ve gotten better and we’ll be better prepared this time. I really have to work hard while playing against him. I’ll have to be tactically better this time,” he said.

“It gives me confidence that I have done well in the Thomas Cup and Asian Championships, but the World Championships is definitely higher-ranked for me and my team. It’s a good challenge, and I’m ready.”

This is the second straight edition in which an Indian will face Shi in the opening round, after Lakshya Sen went down 17-21, 19-21 to the Chinese player last year.

Lakshya, however, avenged that loss when the two met again in the first round at the All England earlier this year.

Shi, who will be defending his title, has been far from his best in recent weeks, and that gives a now fully fit Ayush a chance to cause an early upset.

“I had some pain (elbow injury) earlier, but now it’s all good. I’ll be at 100% during the Worlds,” he stated.