Still leading the way for Great Britain’s men’s singles, Penty sparks hope for the British Isles as he continues to fight for the points despite his injury.
The countdown for the European Championships is coming to an end. In just a matter of days, Europe’s best players will meet in Ukraine to battle it out for the title of the continent’s champion. The seedings have been out for a couple of weeks and there’s one question hanging in the air; will the reigning champion Viktor Axelsen get to keep the title or will someone else swoop in to grab it?
There are many contenders for the top prize, and even though Toby Penty has not had his best performances lately, he has been working hard to get back in shape in time for the most important events of the year. The 28-year-old is excited about the upcoming tournament, but fully knows that the road to complete recovery is a long one.
-Looking forward to going to Kyiv for the Europeans. I have not set out too many expectations for it. I've been dealing with a knee injury since Christmas time so I see this tournament as another part of the process towards being fully fit again whilst also playing some more competitive matches.
An optimistic outlook
It has been rather an uphill battle for Penty due to the knee injury that has been affecting him since the end of last year. Still, playing in an event such as the European Championships is a great way to start getting back on track and perhaps earning some vital points before Tokyo.
-I only have the All England to go off as to where my game is and considering I didn't have the best build up I was happy with large parts of my game, so I'm just trying to build upon that, Penty explained.
The English player kick-started his year with the 2021 All England Open in which he lost to Kanya Tsuneyama. Despite the setbacks of his injury Penty had faced in recent months, he managed to get off to a great start and strike back, putting on a good fight, but the Japanese player eventually took charge of the game to finally take the victory. It might be difficult to set a key objective in such circumstances, but Penty knows where his priorities lie.
-The aim is to go in with an open mind and enjoy playing a big tournament such as the Europeans, and then evaluate where my game is at after building up towards the Olympics and other tournaments for the rest of 2021. Alongside that, I will use it as another springboard towards gaining 100% fitness again, Penty affirmed.
An ideal opportunity
Although it all seems to be recovery talks, speaking at length about being back on top form, Penty is still one of the strongest, holding 13th place in the European rankings and leading the way for English men’s players, as he still is the country’s number one. Coming back from the knee injury is the clear target, but there are other crucial matters to keep in mind to succeed in the long term.
-The focus recently has been a lot of off-court work and injury rehab alongside changing a few technical and tactical areas to my game.
It is not just about healing but also about preparing for the tournaments to come after the European Championships. What is more, Penty could be successful when it comes to the draws and take it a step forward to make an impressive comeback. If one thing is for sure is that the Walton-on-Thames native has an excellent person guiding him to victory, Rajiv Ouseph.
-I know one of Raj's goals was to win at the Europeans and to do it in Denmark against such high-quality opposition was a fantastic achievement. He will be out with the English team coaching so I'll be trying to lean on some of his experiences to help me whilst I'm out there, Penty stated.
Ouseph is clearly experienced when it comes to getting straight-up victories in the Championships. He is the latest non-Danish player to win the men’s singles title, one of England’s biggest achievements in Badminton history. With a total of five European Championships medals, he is truly an inspiring figure, and having him on his side, Penty could get to impress despite the focus on recovery.
The 2021 European Championships will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine from
27 April to 2 May. For more information about the 2021 European Championships, click
here.