Will now give Sindhu's phone back & allow her to have an ice-cream: Gopichand

IF YOU need to gain something, one needs to sacrifice something too. That is what PV Sindhu, the Olympic Silver medallist did. Gopichand is known for strictness, but also produces the results.

The 21-year-old was deprived of her phone and she wasn't allowed to eat any sweets. But after winning the medal, now her coach Gopichand will allow her to do anything.

"Sindhu did not have her phone during the last three months. The first thing is I would return her phone. The second thing, after coming here for last 12-13 days, I had deprived her from having sweet curd which she likes most. I also stopped her from eating ice-cream. Now she can eat whatever she wants," said Gopichand to PTI.

He further explained how happy he was with Sindhu's performance:

"She has had a great last week. The kind of work she has put in the last two months is tremendous. The kind of sacrifices she has made without complaining is fantastic. She deserved to enjoy the moment and that's what I really wanted her to do. I'm very truly very happy."

"Sindhu is much younger. I think she has developed a lot in this tournament. She has a lot of potential to grow further. You should give your best shot. She has done us proud. I'm really happy for her."

Sindhu was disappointed in not winning the gold, but Gopichand's advice to her was,

"I told her don't think that you lost it. Remember that we have won a medal. I wanted to tell her this to ensure that she does not forget the last week's effort that she put in to come to second place on the podium."

"She has done us all proud by the kind of the effort she's put in. From our side we are happy, I wanted her to enjoy the moment going into the podium. It's important for me, more than her, that to forget that she lost the match and focus on the fact that she won the medal."

He also expressed how he would have been happier to have the national flag raised a little higher.

"I just wish that our flag had gone one bit higher and our National anthem was played. But having said that, hats off to Sindhu for the kind of effort she's put in."