KUALA LUMPUR: The opportunity to coach 2019 world champion P.V. Sindhu will be a dream come true for Malaysia's Hafiz Hashim.
Hafiz, 41, joined India's Suchitra Badminton Academy on a three-year contract earlier this year after leaving the Academy Badminton Malaysia coaching lineup in December.
Hafiz has already started working with Sindhu, but only when the former world No. 2 trains at the Hyderabad-based academy twice a week.
Now, with the Olympic qualifiers in full swing, Sindhu wants Hafiz, the 2003 All England champion, as a coach on a full-time basis.
Sindhu, who will turn 28 on Wednesday, has written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) seeking approval to train under Hafiz in preparation for next year's Paris Games.
And Hafiz could be the missing piece of the puzzle Sindhu is seeking in her hope of finally winning the women's singles Olympic gold medal in Paris. It would be an embarrassment to Malaysia if this becomes a reality, as the country has never won an Olympic gold.
When contacted by Timesport, Hafiz, who was previously attached to the Malaysian national junior squad, said: "As a coach, this is what I want.
"It is a big step forward in my career, and I'm very proud.
"I have worked with Sindhu before this because she is also part of Suchitra Badminton Academy. The only difference is now she wants me to be her full-time coach.
"Once we get the clearance from SAI, we will train at Suchitra twice a week, and then the remaining sessions will be at the Gachibowli Stadium, which is just 40 minutes away from where we are.
"Sindhu is a high-level professional. She is very disciplined and committed, and these qualities make it easier to work with her.
"If all goes well, it will be a new challenge for me to help Sindhu qualify for the Olympics, and later aim for gold."
Still far from her best, Sindhu only returned to competitive action this year after suffering from a stress fracture injury last August.
In February, she parted ways with South Korea's Park Tae Sang, who guided her to an Olympic bronze in Tokyo (2020), and the Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham (2022) following a string of disappointing results.
Her best this season was reaching the final of the Spain Masters in April and the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters in May.
According to Hafiz, should Sindhu's request be given the green light, he will accompany the 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist to the Super 500 Korea Open, which will be held from July 18 to 23.
But first, Sindhu will play at the Canada Open, which starts on Tuesday, followed by the US Open.