World championships will
be easier: Gopi

All England badminton champion Pulella Gopichand, hoping to overcome the pressure of being a "marked man", said the coming World championships, in May-June, should be relatively easier than the English tournament he won in March.

"The All England championship was on the basis of seedings given to the best world players (six to seven from some countries) competing for the title, but in the World championships entry to each country is restricted to four, thereby making the tournament relatively easy," Gopichand said at a felicitation function in Hyderabad on Monday night.

The world No. 5 added: "The pressure of being All England champion is there, but I have always played under such adverse circumstances.

"The pressure would be to play up to peoples' expectations, pressure to give my very best and pressure to live up to my standards."

On his preparation for the May 28 - June 10 tournament in Spain, the Indian ace said: "There are two to three areas where I am vulnerable and I will concentrate on those, as video clippings of my game are being studied by opponents who must have marked me after my winning the England title."

Gopichand, who has trouble with his eyes while playing in cold countries, says he is giving priority to fitness and hopes his workouts will carry him through in Spain, where he will be playing for the first time.

The ace shuttler, who suffered a major knee injury seven years back, has in his armoury a blend of raw aggression, technical, tactical and skilful play.

While endurance and patience to wear out opponents are his strong points, Gopichand said he needs gain more control and avoid rash strokes.

Swarmed by autograph seekers and people seeking to pose for a photograph with him, Gopichand said he is enjoying the celebrity status. "It has," he added, "brought him more recognition, more responsibility, more pressure and more happiness."