The duo met Dinesh Karthik on JioCinema's 'Get Set Gold' where they revealed the secrets of their game, talked about the initial language barrier they faced in their partnership and their common love for South Indian music .
Satwiksairaj, who holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest hit at 565 km/h, explained the technology behind the smash and what inspired him.
“I learned smashes from volleyball, how players jump and smash. It looks like a heroic movement and it's how I started learning my jumps when I was younger. No one taught me this and I think Smash has somehow achieved success.I subconsciously try to take a peripheral view to understand where the opponents stand. Earlier, I used to play a lot with angles and hit on the line, but now I try to hit towards the opponent's body.
While Shetty and Rankireddy told Karthik about their workout routines, they also discussed the physicality of their opponents and how it surprises them on most occasions. Shetty described the nuances of playing doubles matches and what are the other aspects apart from power that define his game. He then tells Karthik about the exercises he does to improve his defense and develop muscle memory.“When we talk about doubles, the game is not just about power. This game is all about rescue, net game, how to get the lift right and a lot more. Defense is another important part of the game. There are a lot of aspects when you think about doubles and it's not just about power."
Shetty also shared how Rankireddy influenced his music playlist by playing carrom with songs from Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Shah Rukh Khan's films.“Earlier, I used to listen to a lot of Punjabi music. But just before the Asian Games, Satwik made me sing Anirudh (Ravichander)'s songs,” Shetty said. Rankireddy explained about their playlist sequence, "In the beginning there is 'Hukum', then there is Vikram's title track, and gradually we go into dance mode with 'Chaleya'. Chirag played the KGF background score in the court. Set as our entry theme.
Shetty and Rankireddy then discussed the difficult days of their partnership and how they overcame them to become the world No. 1 ranked pair.“Earlier, I felt burdened, it felt as if someone was deliberately forcing me to play with him and it was against our wishes. We did not speak the same language, which created many obstacles. I spoke in Hindi, while Satwik was more familiar with Telugu. Then-coach Kim Tan said he thought we would make a good pairing because we had a good attack. They thought we could make the top 20.Shetty said, this conversation made us feel less burdened and we felt that we were willingly partnering with each other.
Rankireddy then shared how their partnership has become perfect and it feels like their souls talk to each other in between matches.
Shetty and Rankireddy are currently ranked third in men's doubles and are serious contenders for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the last two years, the pair won one gold medal each at the 2022 Asian Games and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. With more accolades at the 2022 World Championships, 2022 Thomas Cup and 2023 Asian Championships.
Satwiksairaj, who holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest hit at 565 km/h, explained the technology behind the smash and what inspired him.
“I learned smashes from volleyball, how players jump and smash. It looks like a heroic movement and it's how I started learning my jumps when I was younger. No one taught me this and I think Smash has somehow achieved success.I subconsciously try to take a peripheral view to understand where the opponents stand. Earlier, I used to play a lot with angles and hit on the line, but now I try to hit towards the opponent's body.
While Shetty and Rankireddy told Karthik about their workout routines, they also discussed the physicality of their opponents and how it surprises them on most occasions. Shetty described the nuances of playing doubles matches and what are the other aspects apart from power that define his game. He then tells Karthik about the exercises he does to improve his defense and develop muscle memory.“When we talk about doubles, the game is not just about power. This game is all about rescue, net game, how to get the lift right and a lot more. Defense is another important part of the game. There are a lot of aspects when you think about doubles and it's not just about power."
Shetty also shared how Rankireddy influenced his music playlist by playing carrom with songs from Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Shah Rukh Khan's films.“Earlier, I used to listen to a lot of Punjabi music. But just before the Asian Games, Satwik made me sing Anirudh (Ravichander)'s songs,” Shetty said. Rankireddy explained about their playlist sequence, "In the beginning there is 'Hukum', then there is Vikram's title track, and gradually we go into dance mode with 'Chaleya'. Chirag played the KGF background score in the court. Set as our entry theme.
Shetty and Rankireddy then discussed the difficult days of their partnership and how they overcame them to become the world No. 1 ranked pair.“Earlier, I felt burdened, it felt as if someone was deliberately forcing me to play with him and it was against our wishes. We did not speak the same language, which created many obstacles. I spoke in Hindi, while Satwik was more familiar with Telugu. Then-coach Kim Tan said he thought we would make a good pairing because we had a good attack. They thought we could make the top 20.Shetty said, this conversation made us feel less burdened and we felt that we were willingly partnering with each other.
Rankireddy then shared how their partnership has become perfect and it feels like their souls talk to each other in between matches.
Shetty and Rankireddy are currently ranked third in men's doubles and are serious contenders for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the last two years, the pair won one gold medal each at the 2022 Asian Games and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. With more accolades at the 2022 World Championships, 2022 Thomas Cup and 2023 Asian Championships.
