The bronze medal at the BWF World Championships 2026 has strengthened Gayatri Gopichand‘s belief that she and Treesa Jolly can eventually reach the very top of women’s doubles.
After becoming the first Indian women’s doubles pair in 15 years to win a World Badminton Championships medal, Gayatri believes their run in New Delhi showed that becoming world champions is no longer an unrealistic ambition.
“Somewhere down the line, we do believe that we can be world champions one day,” Gayatri told Olympics.com.
The belief has been built gradually over the past few years, through victories against leading pairs and performances that have shown Treesa-Gayatri can compete with the best.
“I think over the couple of years, we’ve played some really good matches and gained confidence,” Gayatri said. “Even after the Philippines Challenge, I think it definitely brought momentum, and I think we started believing in ourselves a lot more coming into the World Championships.”
Yet, a medal was not something Gayatri necessarily expected when the marquee badminton tournament began.
“I didn’t expect to win the bronze medal, but I just wanted to get on court and give my 100 per cent and just enjoy and see what happens.”
Their campaign eventually ended in the semi-finals against world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of the People’s Republic of China. Treesa and Gayatri took the opening game before going down in three, and the defeat offered another lesson about what is required to consistently challenge the world’s best.
Gayatri Gopichand identified patience, rather than a significant difference in ability, as one of the areas they need to improve.
“We’ve played the top pairs in the world, we’ve beaten them, lost sometimes, and I think wins and losses keep happening,” she said.
“But I think for us at this point, we just need to be a little bit more patient when we’re playing against the world number one and two, because they’re not going to give easy points. They’re just a level higher than the rest of the pairs.”
The semi-final was a case in point.
“After the first set, somewhere we lost our patience a little bit. We just wanted quick points, and it wasn’t happening,” Gayatri said.
Treesa and Gayatri’s rise has also been aided by a partnership in which their contrasting personalities and playing qualities have come together naturally.
“She’s a super fun person to hang out with,” Gayatri said of Treesa. “Even on court, I think we complement each other. She’s aggressive, and she brings that presence on court. So it’s very easy, very fun.”
For Gayatri, the medal also underscored how far her career has come since she switched from singles to doubles.
Asked what her 15-year-old self would make of seeing her with a World Championships medal, Gayatri said: “I think she wouldn’t believe it first. And also, I don’t think she would have believed that Gayatri shifted from singles to doubles.
“I think she’d be really proud and really happy.”
The achievement carries added significance after a difficult period with injuries. Gayatri does not believe the bronze has fundamentally changed their ambitions, but it has changed how strongly they believe in what could come next.
“Changed, I wouldn’t say, but I think it’s definitely made me a lot more confident,” she said. “The last year with the injuries and stuff, to come back and win a medal, I think it’s definitely made us more confident.
“We’re pretty confident that things can be different from now on.”
Gayatri has also had her father, Pullela Gopichand, courtside as a coach, but she says there is little special treatment once matches begin.
“I think he’s the same with everyone,” she said. “When we lose a point, sometimes he’s very strict. I don’t think he’s any different with me on court.”
His recurring message during their medal-winning World Championships campaign, however, was considerably simpler.
“Throughout this tournament, he’s just told the both of us to be calm,” Gayatri said. “Even in the videos, if you can tell, he’s only telling us to be calm and just enjoy ourselves.”
