NEW DELHI: India chief national coach Pullela Gopichand believes badminton’s switch to the 15-point scoring format could dramatically reshape the sport, warning that while some players will thrive, others may struggle to survive the tactical transformation.The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has approved the introduction of the 15×3 scoring system from next year, replacing the current best-of-three games to 21 points. The world body has argued that the shorter format will help reduce player workload amid an increasingly packed international calendar.But Gopichand, who experienced a similar scoring overhaul during his own playing career, feels the transition will not be without casualties.“When I won the All England, a few months later they moved from 15 to 7. It took me time because I was one of those players who was a stroke player. I wanted time to get adjusted. It took me a year to come back,” Gopichand said during an interaction ahead of the World Championships.“And then by the time I was kind of settling in, they brought us back to the long form and it was a death blow. Because you train, you detrain, and your endurance drops. Then to go back and play 15 was impossible. These definitely make a big impact. A few players, it will wipe off, a few players might benefit.”
‘The mind will play much more’
Drawing parallels with the latest change, Gopichand said the shorter format would place a greater premium on speed, power and mental resilience, with every point carrying added significance.“You scoring points will be important, but you not giving away points will be even more important. The speed and the power and the focus need to be top notch. The mind will play much more,” he said.According to the former All England champion, doubles specialists are likely to feel the biggest impact, with the serve, serve-return and attacking phases becoming even more decisive.“The serve, serve-return and the attack will be even more fierce in the doubles game… people who can hold their nerves and play the strokes will be important,” he said.He also predicted that pressure moments would arrive much earlier in matches.“The crucial points in the game will be the 11th and 12th points. How you take pressure at 13-14 or 15-14 will become very important. There will be a lot of pressure points throughout the match.”
Questions over BWF’s rationale
While acknowledging the potential benefits of a shorter format, Gopichand questioned the logic behind the BWF’s explanation that it would reduce player workload.“If they were planning to extend the tournament schedule to two weeks, they could have stayed on with the 21-point system because it doesn’t make sense to shorten it and lengthen the tournament both at the same time,” he said.“The purpose was to give rest to the players, and that could have been achieved by having the tournament over a 10-12-day period instead of six days. But probably BWF has its own reasons. It’s very subjective.”Gopichand also believes the change could alter badminton’s identity by favouring flatter, faster exchanges over creative stroke play.“Players will try to be a lot safer and not too much of skills. That’s one area which I think the sport will miss out on because a longer format typically gives you a little more freedom to open up your arms and play a few more strokes. Here it’s going to be a lot more flat, parallel games,” he said.
