Sandorhazi, 19, is one of the youngest talents rising up from what is a promising pool of Hungarian women’s singles players. With the sky being the limit, we learn what Sandorhazi has her eyes on.
The 2018 European Junior Championship bronze medallist reached the final of the Slovak Open this year as an unseeded entry and is already dreaming big for her career ahead.
-I think my biggest dream for me is a medal from the Olympic games, the colour of it is insignificant. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to leave some kind of mark in history. I mean like when I won a silver medal at the U15 Europeans in Kazan, I was the first Hungarian to ever do that in a junior event. It still means a great deal to me. Therefore, my dream is, we could say, to be the first player to bring home a medal from any world event in the upcoming years.
This might seem to be putting a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the young player just taking her first steps into senior badminton, but Sandorhazi demonstrates a very level head when talking about these goals.
- I would like to think and hope that all of the above is possible because I'm a hard worker, always have been, always will be, and most importantly, I'm determined to go as long as it takes to reach my goals. All I can say now is that if I feel amazing on court during any match, the result will not matter that much because firstly I play for the thrill of it all. With that said, I can safely say that I never had problems with my motivation before, solely for the reason I just said above. I will play until I can enjoy it to the fullest.
Top 100
After making positive strides earlier this year, the pause in the tournament calendar came at an inconvenient time for the Hungarian. Speaking about this and her subsequent change of plans, she says.
-This year I was planning to go to lots of lower-level tournaments to get the hang of it all, however with this unfortunate coronavirus now, things have been pushed back by half a year. I was planning to go to the World Championships next year, but I am guessing with the Olympic games being hosted a year later, it won't be taking place. So, my 'improved' short-term goal is to be in the top 100 in the world rankings as soon as I can manage. I will most likely try going to the World and European Championships in two years.
Sandorhazi, currently ranked 182, is at the moment still living at home with her parents and attending university in the capital, Budapest. She has stated that she is keeping her options open about moving abroad and gives this reaction with the recent attention from the badminton community.
-I am flattered. It actually gives more motivation for me.