Amal Manohar, the fitness guru who worked with cricketer Sanju Samson ahead of this season’s Indian Premier League, has been hired by Prannoy, according to a report by The Hindu.

Cardiovascular exercises, gym work and beach training are believed to form part of Prannoy’s regime as he bids to improve his core strength and endurance.

Prannoy has started working with Amal and is expected to attend a camp in Hyderabad as he steps up preparations during the off-season.

The 28-year-old, a former world number eight, hopes his work off the court will pay dividends as he aims to qualify for next year’s postponed Olympic Games in Tokyo in Japan.

"It is going to be a long season with lot of tournaments lined up next year, including the Olympics," said Prannoy who clinched gold in the mixed team event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

"There is little scope to work on my fitness once the season begins.

"I will be joining the camp next week in Hyderabad and the focus there will be mostly on improving my game.

"So it is important for me to work on my fitness while I am here in Thiruvananthapuram.

"Working with Amal has been great and I am feeling really good about my fitness."

International badminton ended its seven-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic last month when the Badminton World Federation Denmark Open was held in Odense.

Prannoy did not feature in Denmark but believes the competition has given players confidence of competing during a global health crisis.

"The pandemic has thrown up fresh challenges for players and organisers," added Prannoy.

"Now, after the Danish Open we know what the protocol is and we are mentally prepared."