“When Federer and Nadal play together it will be like that only.”

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy laughs as he says he’s like Roger Federer and Chirag Shetty is like Rafael Nadal after they play collectively. How so? He is cool on the court docket whereas his accomplice wears his aggressive coronary heart on his sleeve.

This ice-and-fire mixture of Satwik and Chirag – Sat-Chi as their well-liked portmanteau identify goes – has had a sensational yr in 2022, stuffed with firsts in Indian badminton.

While the Federer-Nadal comparability could also be in jest, it would not be improper to say that at 25 (Chirag) and 22 (Satwik), they’re already probably the most profitable males’s doubles gamers in India. And what’s exceptional is that this success is only the start.

Biggest win of career is just the next step in Satwik-Chirag’s steady climb to the top

“2022 has hands down been the most successful year for both of us. Starting with the India Open, Thomas Cup, Commonwealth Games, the World Championship and finally the French Open,” Chirag recounts to ESPN.

“Now, ending the year at world No 5, I keep thinking about how far we have come. When we started, it wasn’t really good for me and Chirag. From there to world No 5 has been such a long journey [but] there is still a long way to go…” Satwik provides.

“This year we really wanted to medal at the major events and win titles, which we did. Barring the All England we medalled at all big events,” says Chirag.

Let’s rewind a bit of bit. Their need for medals was intensified by the heartbreak of 2021 – the place they beat the eventual Tokyo Olympic champions however have been knocked out regardless of having the wins on the technicality of a three-way tie. They additionally missed out on the Worlds in December and in January and have been very candid about how the dearth of silverware rankled.

Then, issues modified.

January – Beating the legendary Daddies to win India Open Super 500 at house

“After the Olympics, we weren’t improving, we were sort of stagnant. We even had a really good chance at the World Championship but we couldn’t capitalise on it. We wanted to change things, and starting with the India Open, where we went on to win the title helped. Then a few months later we had Mathias Boe coming back so that really changed things completely.”

An enormous catalyst for Sat-Chi’s evolution right into a constant, composed duo on court docket in 2022 has been the presence of Danish coach Mathias Boe. The former world No 1 in doubles had educated them forward of the Tokyo Olympics however his contract did not proceed. That’s when the GoSports Foundation stepped in.

“We were able to get him due to GoSports- Foundation as his contract with BAI [Badminton Association of India] and SAI [Sports Authority of India] was taking time. But we wanted to get him as early as possible. So before he officially joined, we were able to train with him for two weeks ahead of the Asia Badminton Championship and followed it up till Thomas Cup,” says Chirag.

And all of us bear in mind what occurred at Thomas Cup, proper?

May – India’s historic first Thomas Cup win

Boe’s composure is an important issue of their victories, given the gamers’ opposing personalities. Chirag recounted a specific incident throughout the CWG remaining when he curbed his pure intuition to reply in variety after being instigated and as a substitute let his racquet do the speaking.

Satwik, alternatively, is the chilliness one and he is aware of it. “My game is a little calm, I control myself inside but Chirag is more aggressive. When Mathias [a former world No 1 in doubles] used to play, they were very calm, like before the storm…it comes with experience, we know what to do when the situation gets heated up, we have a man behind telling us what to do and we have a plan before the match.”

August – Commonwealth Games gold, World Championship bronze

Developing this mentality is one thing Satwik, Chirag and Boe are engaged on. “We want to be calm, play like a mature pair and not get hurried. The CWG final, for example, was a pressure match because we were playing English players in England in a packed hall and before us, Sindhu and Lakshya had won gold. We were a little tensed and told ourselves to stay calm and handle ourselves and we went on to win easily. You get good ideas when you are under pressure and don’t take too much time to think,” says Satwik.

The historic Thomas Cup win, a recurring character in Indian males’s badminton’s success story now, additionally helped. “The Thomas Cup final definitely helped, we have never played in a more intense or pressure match. After that Thomas Cup final, I don’t think anything feels like a pressure situation,” Satwik provides.

Such has been the rise in confidence that the following time they discovered themselves within the remaining, they have been fairly the veterans.

October – French Open Super 750

“Winning becomes easier when we don’t think much about the situation. Then again in the French Open final, we knew what to do, they were under pressure because it was their [Chinese Taipei duo of Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han] first time in this stage and we had already played a lot of tournaments,” Satwik says.

But Chirag’s fiery perspective is a weapon they’re completely happy to wield when the time comes.

“We don’t want to get nervous [but] we want to show aggression when we are a bit down or under pressure. Then Chirag will take over that stage, he gets into that zone, he does his job, my thing is to be calm and enjoy that moment,” Satwik smiles.

This stability of aggression and composure shall be a much-needed high quality within the coming yr, which is a loaded season with the delayed Asian Games and Olympic qualification. They are already engaged on their one weak spot – defensive play.

But Satwik has one other agenda for 2023, through which he might need to borrow an attribute from Chirag. “We want to beat two very close friends of ours, to whom we have lost every time. [The Malaysian pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (7-0) and the Indonesian pair Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (11-0)] We are very close but they even come into my dreams sometimes,” he says with amusing.

On a critical notice, he provides, “Mainly we want to manage our workload thinking of the Olympics, not get injured or get out of rhythm. Like in 2022, play fewer tournaments but more quality. This year we only played 10 tournaments and we reached quarters and semis in almost all of them. We want to do the same in 2023. So we are focussing on our bodies, doing well in big events and getting ready for the Olympics.”

Last December, they have been diminished to tears and frustration because the season ended with out important silverware to indicate for his or her robust efforts. This December, they’re the world’s No 5 crew and a real menace in opposition to the perfect. The yr 2022 has been a game-changer for Indian badminton and Sat-Chi has led this transformation with its evolution.

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are ESPN India’s Male athletes of the yr 2022.