Today, he is revered as the Super Coach who has coached two of India’s best ranking badminton players- Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu. Pullela won the junior national badminton championship at 18 years of age. He endured a series of knee injuries in the mid-1990 that could come between his career as a badminton player. Determined to get back on track with his sport, he took up Yoga and physical therapy to help him regain form. He made a remarkable comeback in 1996 and won his first National Badminton Championship title in 1996 and won the title five times in a row until 2000. Pullela also bagged a gold medal in the SAARC badminton tournament two years in a row (1996 and 1997).

He founded the Gopichand Badminton Academy to provide world-class coaching and training to young upcoming badminton players in India. Several young players he coached at the academy went on to achieve international laurels. They include- Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, P. V. Sindhu, and Srikanth Kidambi.

Awards and Accomplishments

Pullela Gopichand won the All England Open Badminton Championship in 2001, becoming the second Indian to achieve that.