For badminton titans Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, merely securing a World Championships bronze in August 2025 and reaching consecutive finals at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters in September 2025 might not typically be considered peak performance. Especially for a duo that had already tasted the World No. 1 ranking in men’s doubles as recently as May 2024, the bar is set incredibly high.
Currently ranked World No. 3, Satwik and Chirag are acutely aware of the immense expectations from fans and critics alike. They’re relentlessly pushing themselves to not only meet but exceed these benchmarks.
“It hasn’t been the easiest year for us,” admitted Chirag, 28, reflecting on their journey. “Between personal hardships, like Satwik’s father’s passing in February, and navigating professional challenges, including Satwik’s shoulder injury and my own back issues, we’ve honestly performed better than we anticipated. In that light, we can call it a decent year. But we know people expect us to consistently reach finals and clinch titles. The hunger for a major crown this season is still very much alive, and we’re confident that breakthrough win is just around the corner.”
Buoyed by their recent positive results and strong showings, the dynamic pair is now laser-focused on two key objectives: reclaiming their position as the World’s top-ranked men’s doubles team and, crucially, securing their qualification for the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals (WTF) scheduled for December 17-21 in Hangzhou.
Chirag emphasized their ambition for the year-end event: “Qualifying for the World Tour Finals is a huge priority for us, as it’s one of the biggest tournaments on the badminton calendar. We’ve only participated once before, in 2021. We feel we’re in a strong position to make it this time, and once there, we’re determined to make a deep run.”
Satwik echoed his partner’s sentiments, highlighting consistency as a crucial factor. “Our primary goal is to play with more consistency, and we’ve seen promising signs of that in recent weeks. And, of course, the desire to return to World No. 1 is always at the forefront of our minds. We’ve experienced that feeling, and we’re eager to taste it once more.”