To ensure he gives his body enough recovery time, World No 12 badminton player Kidambi Srikanth &mdash; also the lone Indian male in the Rio Olympics singles category &mdash; has decided to skip the Thomas Cup (May 15-22 in Kunshan, China).
<img title="Kidambi Srikanth" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/may/08-Kidambi-Srikanth.jpg" alt="Kidambi Srikanth" /> India&rsquo;s World No 12 badminton player Kidambi Srikanth at a city hotel on Saturday. PIC/PRADEEP DHIVAR
&ldquo;I am very happy to have qualified for the Rio Games. Getting an Olympic medal is the ultimate dream for any sportsperson. If it happens (winning a medal), it will be the highest point of my career. I am not saying I will definitely win, but I want to give my best. For that, I will be playing only two Super Series events &mdash; Indonesian Open (May 30-June 5 in Jakarta) and Australian Open (June 7-12 in Sydney) before Rio and will be giving Thomas Cup a miss,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old, who is supported by GoSports Foundation.
Aiming for World Top 8 Srikanth is in the city for a week-long pilates session in Santacruz with fitness expert Sameer Purohit. Pilates is a form of exercise that helps muscle balance, core strengthening and stability, reduces stress and provides back pain relief.
Srikanth aims to break into the World Top 8 before the Rio Games. &ldquo;I would have been happier had I been more consistent and in the Top 10. Nonetheless, my focus now is to break into the Top 8 by the cut-off date for the men&rsquo;s singles draw at Rio to increase my medal chances. There will be 16 seeds.
Seeds 5-8 will play seeds 1-4 only in the quarters, while 9-16 will play in the pre quarters,&rdquo; added Srikanth.
Srikanth who hasn&rsquo;t won a Super Series title since 2014, said he decided to choose tournaments wisely to ensure he gets everything right in his Olympics preparation. &ldquo;I have played too many tournaments over the last five-six months. After these two tournaments (Indonesia and Australia), I will have a break of seven-to-eight weeks in which I will train for the Olympics. Currently, I am on a three-and-a-half week break. It&rsquo;s a very good time to rest and train,&rdquo; he said.
Though 2012 London Olympics quarter-finalist P Kashyap (World No 29) couldn&rsquo;t make the Rio cut, Srikanth is hoping to take a few tips from him before heading to Brazil.
&ldquo;Representing your country at the Olympics is a lot of responsibility. This is my first time and though Kashyap unfortunately couldn&rsquo;t qualify, I would surely talk to him and take advice on handling pressure and what to expect at the Olympics,&rdquo; said Srikanth.

Indian shuttler Srikanth is clearly convinced that skipping the Thomas Cup will help him prepare better for August&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Brazil

Srikant to skip Thomas Cup for Rio Olympics

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Indian shuttler Srikanth is clearly convinced that skipping the Thomas Cup will help him prepare better for August&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Brazil

Srikant to skip Thomas Cup for Rio Olympics

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Srikant to skip Thomas Cup for Rio Olympics

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