Australian Open Super Series champ Kidambi Srikanth 's homecoming was a no-frills-attached family affair. When he landed in Hyderabad late on Monday night, the only people who turned up to receive him were mom Radha Mukunda, dad KVS Srikrishna and elder brother Nanda Gopal . "It was well past 1:00 am in the night and we didn't inform anyone from the badminton fraternity or the media," informed Nanda Gopal. But on Tuesday morning, the 24-year-old was felicitated in a grand ceremony at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachiblowli, where he was presented a cash prize of Rs. 6 lakh.Srikanth's parents were overjoyed. "I am so proud of my boy; finally his dedication and hard work paid off. He's been training since he was eight-and-half years old, and got the support of Gopichand. He has been working hard for last five months, day and night. He leads a hectic life and I still don't know if he will get time to visit us at home in Guntur. I don't watch his matches live on TV. You may call it superstition or whatever, but that's how it is. I watch them later on YouTube."Srikanth's mom Radha added, "No words to express my joy. We are so happy, but he has been missing home cooked food all these years."The world number 11 was all smiles while speaking to the media at the success meet. "For the past two years I've been toiling away to get back to top form after recuperating from injuries that put an end to my Olympic dreams in Rio. And I am very happy with the way I've managed to turn things around. I thank all my coaches, especially Gopichand Sir for supporting me and my parents for standing by me in the hard times," he said.Adding that it feels great to be back in the company of family and friends, Srikanth added, "The past two weeks were very tough for me, since I was playing two back-to-back international tournaments. I have missed my parents and relatives, and I am speechless and full of emotions now, as they pour their love on me."Singling out his coach for special praise, he added, "He (Gopichand) has been the greatest pillar of strength for me. I have no words to express my gratitude. I always wish for his company when I play matches abroad."Gopichand though confessed that he'd have ideally preferred to see Kidambi play fellow shuttler Sai Praneeth (who lost to Srikanth in the quarter finals of Australian Open). "Praneeth was playing superbly and he could've lost only to Kidambi. It's unfortunate that they had to compete with each other. Otherwise, we could have swept the event. The boys showed amazing team spirit and worked out strategies against top-players together. This win has raised the bar for badminton in India," said Gopichand, beaming.Srikanth,who lost to Praneeth in the Singapore Open Super Series in April, concurred, adding, "Praneeth was playing at his best in the tournament, and it's quite unfortunate that he couldn't enter the finals." Praneeth though seemed to have no regrets. "This is an incredible moment for all of us, the team played very well, but I think key to success is maintaining form and consistency. We are now confident about taking on any player in any tournament in the world," he said.Poised to reclaim his place in the World top 10 after winning back-to-back titles — Indonesia Open Super Series Premier and the Australian Open Super Series — Kidambi Srikanth has now set his sights on the prestigious World Championship crown."My sole focus now is to win the World Championship. I am not thinking about the Olympics or World No 1 position for now. For the next few years I just want to keep winning major tournaments and bring laurels to the country," he said, adding, "The past few weeks have been fantastic, not just for me, but for my fellow shuttlers HS Prannoy and Sai (Praneeth) also. Hopefully we can keep up the winning momentum in the future."When asked how does it feel to be hailed as one of the greatest badminton players in the country along with the likes of Gopichand and Saina Nehwal , Srikanth chose to downplay the comparisons. "I am only 24 now. They are the legends whom we consider as role models. Even the number one player can lose to junior players, so my aim is to play a consistent game and maintain my form."Prannoy who beat Chinese superstars Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long at Indonesia SSP echoed Srikanth's sentiments saying, "I am really glad that badminton is growing in popularity in India and I hope we can produce better results in the coming days. We need to be much more consistent. This is not the end. If we can continue in the same vein, we could have three-four Indians in the top 10 in the next couple of years.""This is an incredible moment for all of us, the team played very well, but I think key to success is maintaining form and consistency. We are now confident about taking on any player in any tournament in the world," says, Sai Praneeth"My sole focus now is to win the World Championship. I am not thinking about the Olympics or World No.1 position for now. I just want to keep winning laurels for the country," says, Kidambi Srikanth"Praneeth was playing superbly and he could've lost only to Kidambi. It's unfortunate that they had to compete with each other. Otherwise, we could have swept the event. This win has raised the bar for badminton in India," says, P Gopichand" I am glad that badminton is growing in popularity in India and I hope we can produce better results in the coming days. this is not the end. If we can continue in the same vein, we could have three-four Indians in the top 10 in the next couple of years," says, HS Prannoy

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