Interview: 'Ups And Downs Are Spice Of Life', Saina Nehwal

By T S Sudhir (Guest Writer)

Ranked world number 4, India's badminton star Saina Nehwal was on a roll last year with an Olympics bronze topping her list of achievements. She also won the Denmark Open in October. But since then, the player has not managed any title.

A well-known Hyderabad based senior journalist T.S. Sudhir who penned the first-ever biography of Saina last year, spoke to the player at the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad.
T.S. Sudhir: What's going wrong? There are a lot of badminton players, admirers and fans who are concerned about a title drought this year.

Saina: Even I'm surprised. There were a lot of injuries which happened to me this year and those were not like major ones -- some fracture and jerk in the shoulder or back. These troubled me a lot. Also, my knee has been paining since September. I managed to win the Denmark finals. But after that, taping really affected me and put a lot of pressure on my leg. There were lot of things happening to me from the last few months. But as I played these three tournaments, there was improvement. Of course physically, I was not strong but I could see that I could be back and I just need to be a little fitter.

T.S. Sudhir: South Asian tournaments like in Thailand and Indonesia are your favourite grounds. You have described them as home away from home. Are you disappointed that none of the three titles came your way?

Saina: Not disappointed. I was still giving my best. Only I know that I trained for a week before the tournaments. So I just expected to give my best. I was not expecting any title but to play in them to get ready for the next tournament.

T.S. Sudhir: There is a concern that you are losing to lesser-known players like at the Singapore Open. Why is that happening? Is it because of the fact that perhaps, many of the players have figured out your game.

Saina: It's not that. I think all the players are playing quiet well. It's just that you are not at the peak of your fitness. What we did last year was very tiring. It's difficult to come out of those situations. Once you are fit again, it'll be normal. But yeah, it's not coming still.

T.S. Sudhir: How has life changed on the circuit after the Olympic bronze? How do coaches and players from other teams look at you? Is it with a lot of awe or fear?

Saina: Obviously fear - it's always there. That Olympic bronze can change anything. They are always ready for my game because they know I'm capable of beating most of them. But I just said that fitness is the main thing. If you are not fit, you can lose to anyone. That's the main concern. I just have to be fit enough. Then I don't mind even if they read my game. Finally, if I pick my 20 shots, then I'm on the better side.

T.S. Sudhir: World championship in China is going to be huge. There are expectations from you that you'll do well. How are you training for that?

Saina: There are lot of areas I have to work on. After the three tournaments, I realised that my movements have become slower because of lack of training. Also, I have to become fit and work on the defence and over-all touch-up in all areas. I think six weeks is good enough for that.

T.S. Sudhir: The Indian Badminton League (IBL) is going to take place on the lines of the IPL (Indian Premier League). How do you think it will help players like you and the younger lot here and badminton in general?

Saina: I think badminton is coming up from the last few years and now I hope it becomes a success. Badminton is doing very well in India and if it succeeds, I think it will change a lot of things in Indian badminton. As I said, we need more sponsorship, more people to watch this sport and since IBL will be playing for two weeks, it'll help foreign players and spectators watch the sport and sponsors to see how we're doing. This will increase the number of tournaments helping junior players with money and give them an opportunity to play international events as well.

T.S. Sudhir: An auction will take place for IBL. Would you like to play for the Hyderabad team or for your favourite cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's team?

Saina: Hyderabad of course. People will want me to be a part of the Hyderabad team. Even I want to be a part of Hyderabad team. But I'm also with Sahara. Let's see what happens in the auction. But it will be great to play from Hyderabad because I started playing here and I hope to play here.

T.S. Sudhir: A lot of younger players have done very well from Gopi's academy here -- Srikanth, Sai Praneeth and Sindhu to name a few. When you look back at them and having crossed that age, what do you think they're doing? Are they doing it right or perhaps wrong?

Saina: Right or wrong is for coaches to decide. There are lots of things in a player's life. You are playing everyday. Sometimes you are bored of playing, sometimes there are other issues and playing for India is another challenge because we have only one academy, one coach for so many players. It's not so easy, whereas the Chinese and other players have one coach for two players. They also have a number of physios and support staff. So they are taken care of very well. They don't really worry about anything. But we have many issues.

Coming out of it and winning is a great thing and they are also very lucky that they are in this academy. I am sure Gopi sir is looking into that, which area to work on and where they can improve. But it's your body. It can feel sick at any time or feel better any time. So be strong. That's all I can say.

T.S. Sudhir: How do you as a sportsperson react to all the unsavoury things that have happened to the IPL?

Saina: I never thought these things actually take place. Cricket is of course a big sport in India. Fixing just pulls the game down. I'm sure next time it won't happen. But you feel bad because you see cricket everyday. The craze comes down. Otherwise cricket is cricket. It always is going to be at the top. But these things should not happen. It might affect other sports as well.