Badminton Queen of India

Saina Nehwal

eISBN: 978-93-5083-870-9

© Publisher

Publisher: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.

X-30, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II

New Delhi-110020

Phone: 011-40712100, 41611861

Fax: 011-41611866

E-mail: sales@dpb.in

Website: www.diamondbook.in

Edition: 2013

Badminton Queen of India: Saina Nehwal

By - Renu Saran

Preface

Saina Nehwal, one of the best sporting talents produced by India is a world-class champion of present time. The talented girl has achieved great things pretty early in life. Right from the age of 8, she had dedicated her life to badminton. This became her chosen sport. Saina Nehwal is certainly the brightest star in Indian sport. Despite the cricket hype and craze about sports fans in India, badminton managed to carve a niche; kudos to Saina Nehwal and her incredible victories. People now like to watch badminton and appreciate Saina’s victory.

Away from the media glare, Saina’s career has enjoyed steady rise. Be it her popular National Badminton Championship victory or the Olympic medal, Saina has regularly beaten the top ten players. With dedicated and successful attempts of increasing her rank, Saina is truly a world-class achiever.

Saina, in all likelihood is the pride of our nation. Critics and well-wishers strongly feel that the girl will continue to bring great laurels to the country and make everyone proud in the years to come. We wish this real achiever huge success, fame, and happiness in future.

– Renu Saran

Contents

1. The Young Girl Who Brought Glory to India

2. Birth of a Badminton Star

3. Childhood of Saina

4. The Steady Winning Rituals

5. Saina’s Journey to the Top

6. Some Special Moments in Saina’s Career

7. Saina’s Coaches

8. Saina’s Preparation Before Match

9. Ideal Diet for a Badminton Player

10. How to Be Mentally Prepared Before a Game

11. Awards and Honours – A Part of Saina Nehwal’s Life

12. Saina’s Injury Free Career

13. What Makes Saina Nehwal Super Saina and a Winner?

14. Some of the Significant Years in Saina Nehwal’s Life

15. Saina Nehwal’s Daily Training Schedule

16. Sponsorship and Endorsements

17. The Sacrifice of Parents

18. Badminton Fitness

19. Stepping into the Glamour World

20. Saina’s Favourite Badminton Players

21. Saina’s Favourite Cities

22. The Sportspersons Saina Admires

23. Saina and Her Chinese Opponents

24. Saina’s Non Badminton Interests

25. Saina Nehwal and Spirituality

26. Famous Quotes by Saina Nehwal and Eminent Badminton Players

27. Saina and Her Lucky Courts

28. Future Plans of Saina Nehwal

29. Things You Didn’t Know about Saina Nehwal

30. Saina’s Best Friend – Dedication

31. What Others Say about Saina Nehwal

The Young Girl Who Brought

Glory to India

Saina Nehwal, the badminton sensation of India, has brought glory to India by winning the bronze medal at the London Olympics. She has also given stunning performances by winning the Indonesian series and the Swiss Open Grand Prix.

Other than being a talented badminton player, this young girl has always displayed great sportsmanship spirit and respect to the country. Her conduct on and off court has always been impeccable. It was almost at par with Sachin Tendulkar, the cricketing maestro. The girl has also been in the limelight for over a decade now. But her primary focus has always been the game. Never had she made a comment that was inappropriate or against the spirit of patriotism that players usually portray. Her main focus has always been the game. She would never surrender or accept defeat easily. With a series of success at a young age, the girl has carried the pressures and expectations of a billion Indians on her young shoulders. And she did it with such poise that only a true professional could have done.

The girl had to undergo rigorous training schedule and sacrifice small pleasures of life. She had done this throughout her career and this is exactly what is helping her emerge as one of the most talented and reigning badminton queens across the globe.

India is proud to have produced a badminton player (only non-Chinese player) who reached the semis of the Olympics. She is also the only player whom Chinese women badminton players fear.

The girl knows the art of maintaining dignity and composure. She never loses focus on the sport regardless how the glamour world and media treats her. True sportsmanship spirit is what the girl believes in. No wonder the nation didn’t witness any overt celebrations after Xin Wang (her Chinese opponent) retired hurt from the match and the bronze medal fell for her. Saina knew the circumstances well and her behaviour was apt. Her loss in a match is graceful enough because she knows how to accept her weakness.

Saina, the paragon of womanhood has achieved a lot at a very young age. The girl visits courts and delivers her best. Saina’s perseverance, focus, consistency and incredible ability to carry herself makes her a winner always.

Birth of A Badminton Star

Saina, the living legend, is considered as the legendary Indian Badminton player and she is probably the best women Indian Badminton player. The early life of Saina Nehwal was full of struggle. She battled with each obstacle and won over it.

Saina has obtained some amazing achievements in the past. She has accomplished the second position on the globe and been successful in three worldwide competitions. Her greatest accomplishment is that she became the first native Indian woman to arrive at the quarter-finals circular at the Olympic activities. She was granted Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Prize this season for her spectacular performance in worldwide competitions.

Early years of Saina Nehwal was full of hard work and practicing the badminton all the time. She was born on 17th March, 1990, in Dhindar, Hisar, a town in Haryana to Dr. Harvir Singh and Mrs. Usha Nehwal. Thereafter, the family moved to Hyderabad. Her influence for becoming a badminton player came from her family itself. Her father is a scientist at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad. Both Harvir and Usha were badminton state champions for Haryana.

Childhood of Saina

Since Saina’a parents were avid badminton players, they used to walk down to the faculty club at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural campus to play badminton. Saina and her sister Abu used to accompany their parents. Abu was seven years old at that time and used to carry six months old Saina.

Little Saina loved badminton since she was an infant. Her father noticed his infant daughter shrieking out aloud while the couple played badminton. She also followed the shuttle back and forth. This was one game Saina thoroughly enjoyed right from her childhood.

Saina was a cute little girl when she was five years old. She was nicknamed ‘Steffi’ by her friends and family as she had keen interest in sports and related activities.

Saina was at her naughtiest when she was 4 to 5 years old. When the family lived in Hissar, the residential area was a bit dangerous for kids as there were lots of monkeys. But Saina was a brave girl. She would often scare the poor monkeys by running after them.

One day, she gave a pleasant surprise to her father. She came home holding 3 big trophies. She had won all of them in the sports meet at school.

Once, Saina met with a horrifying incident in her life. It was a difficult moment for her parents. In fact, it still brings shudders to her father. Saina got her finger seriously injured when she was a child. The finger was actually in two pieces, just dangling with a little bit of skin. Her mother acted promptly and wrapped the finger in ice. She rushed her to the hospital and the surgeon did a good job fixing it and saved little Saina’s finger.

Saina grew up to be a smart, energetic toddler. She was admitted to a school within the Haryana Agricultural campus. Life in school was normal just as any child’s. Saina was an obedient student in school from 8:30 in the morning till 1:30 in the afternoon. Her favourite pastime was playing outdoors for a long time.

Childhood Picture of Saina Nehwal

– Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan’s Vidyashram, her school

In 1998, when Saina was eight years old, Dr. Harvir Singh was chosen for the post of principal scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Now, this demanded a transfer of place and the entire family shifted to Hyderabad.

It was a new experience altogether for Saina. She missed her school, friends, and everything that was good about her birthplace. Hyderabad was new. The language was different. To worsen the situation, the kids were shifted during summer holidays. All they could do was sit at home and get bored.

Dr. Harvir Singh and his wife noticed boredom that was killing their children. One day, they came across a karate school and decided to enrol Saina for the classes. She started learning the martial art from Coach Indrasena Reddy. The coach was paid Rs. 100 each month. The training sessions went on smooth for a year and Saina managed to win a brown belt.

But one day, the karate coaching came to an abrupt end. In December 1998, Saina’s coach demanded a demonstration. The instructor prepared to run a motorbike over the hands of the students. For Saina, the demonstration was a little different as she was new to the art. She had to hold her breath and balance a heavy weight on her stomach. A man weighing 90 kg stepped on her stomach making it very difficult to hold her breath, she exhaled. This was a huge blunder on her part. Poor Saina had to suffer from severe stomach pain for many days after. This incident brought her karate classes to an end forever.

During the summer of 1999, Dr. Harvir Singh heard of a badminton camp that was being organized by the Andhra Pradesh Sports Authority. Dr. Singh was sure about enrolling Saina into the camp. There was no looking back since then.

Dr. Harvir Singh used to visit the Lal Bahadur Shashtri Stadium early morning. But they were informed that the enrolment was closed down for the season. Then, Dr. Harvir Singh met the senior coaches P. S. S. Nani Prasad and S. L. Giverdhan Reddy. Learning about the enthusiasm of the child and upon her father’s insistence, the coaches approved an enrolment.

On that morning, Saina’s very first stroke was a smash. This impressed the coaches. And from then onwards Saina attended the badminton camp every morning religiously with her mother. Since the place was very far from where the family lived, Saina and her mother had to wake up very early to mark their presence on time.

The camp experience was new for Saina as she had to indulge in some exercises too. She had to run up and down the stairs, run about 400 metre, and do cross country racing. Since, she was working out for the first time ever in her life, it took sometime for her to adapt to the situation.

Mrs. Usha noticed a spark in her daughter. She decided to train her in the sport in her free time. So, Saina used to practise the sport with her mother in the afternoon too. She used to teach her the strokes and instructed on what the little girl should focus the next day at camp. Her interest in daughter’s game was such that even the coaches would agree to her suggestions.

Towards the end of the camp, an announcement was made. The organizers decided that one player among them would be selected for further training. The selection was performance based. Sania reached the finals but lost it to a player from Maharashtra, Deethi. Deethi was selected but couldn’t go ahead with the training as it was time for her to return back to Nagpur where she hailed from. Deethi’s loss was Saina’s gain. She easily slipped into the slot.

At this point of time, Saina never thought of badminton beyond holidays. However, Mrs. Usha was quite ambitious and decided to encourage her daughter to pursue the sport. She pushed her little daughter into the training session.

Soon, the school session began and Saina resumed her 4th standard. The badminton coaching was to continue along with the study and this little girl agreed. Although, Lal Bahadur Stadium was about 25 kilometers from the company quarters the family resided in, Saina was determined.

Each morning, she would wake up at four, get ready and take a bus to the stadium. The little girl trained between 6:00 am to 8:00 regularly and rushed to school. The afternoons were dedicated to the stadiums again. It was her mother’s duty to pick her up from school gate and take her to stadium. Dr. Harvir Singh would pick the mother daughter duo later in the evening. The routine made the family reach home by 9:00 at night. The exhaustion would kill them all but Dr. Harvir Singh and Mrs. Usha Nehwal never showed it to their daughter.

Rigorous training was an integral part for the initial years. Since, Saina was growing the training sessions would result in unbearable pain. She used to shriek in sleep many nights. Her mother would then massage legs with warm almond oil. This gave her strength to train the next morning. The stress also gave dark circles under eyes. This would have been a cause of worry for any other growing girl but Saina was extraordinary. She had falling in love with the game and everything it gave her. Saina liked to play, visit the courts, and win games.

Academics were definitely important. The scientist father aimed for good education and a bright career for his daughters. And Saina always dreamt of being a doctor despite of all the love and ardour she felt for the game. The couple made sure their daughter never aged behind studies.

The Under-10 District-level tournament came up the same year, 1999. It was held in Tirupati. Saina participated and won! Saina had been playing badminton for two months by then. I.R.D. Shirvani from the Godavari district was her opponent.

Saina beat Shirvani in straight sets. This was her first big victory. She won cash prize for Rs. 500. Saina gave her big earnings to her parents and dedicated the victory to them. Dr. Harvir Singh commemorated the occasion by taking his daughter to the Tirupati Balaji temple. He dedicated the victory of his daughter to the Almighty.

The Steady Winning Rituals

Saina’s badminton

practice during

childhood

After playing at the district level in the year 1999, Saina started climbing her ladder of success steadily. Winning at major badminton games gave her some relief in school too. Her teachers were not bothered about her reaching late in school or leaving early. Saina reached school late in the morning and left by 2:30 in the afternoon to be at the training. The schedule was envious for her classmates but not those who saw her rigorous and painful training sessions. Most of the time, she used to fall asleep on Dr. Harvir Singh’s scooter on her way to training after school. The exhaustion was too much for the little girl.

Luckily, Dr. Harvir Singh and Usha Nehwal understood the condition of their daughter and allowed her some freedom from studies. They didn’t put much pressure on her to study as much as she played. This allowed her to focus on game and she started participated in state tournaments at Under 12 and Under 14 levels.

Saina won most of these tournaments. Those, she lost made her feel really bad. Her mother would feel upset. Mrs. Usha Nehwal was Saina’s inspiration. She believed in her daughter’s capability and made it a point not to upset or demotivate her.

Within a short period of time, Saina’s life was surrounded by badminton. People used to wonder if she enjoyed a normal childhood. Surprisingly, the childhood was happier and glorious despite all the hard work she put in. She won many tournaments and always stood first in the class.

The only thing she missed as a child was ‘friendship’. Saina never had that kind of time to make friends. Those, whom she played with and against were the only ones she used to interact with. But since they were rivals at the court, friendship was not possible after a certain level. Hence, Saina missed out on birthday parties, weekends and picnics. Saina believes in the adage ‘to win some, you lose some’. And now that she is the badminton star of the country, she doesn’t miss what she had lost years ago.

By the time Saina was in class 7, she started crossed state and national level tournaments. She was now playing internationally. This affected her studies and school attendance dropped steadily. Her major presence was felt at the international tournaments. Since, each tournament took about two weeks to finish, it was quite difficult for Saina to keep up with the pace.

Luckily, her teachers and principal understood her passion for the game and extended all the support they could. They helped the upcoming badminton star to catch up with the lessons. Her mathematics teacher helped her a lot in following up with the missed lectures and practicals. The P.T. teacher was more than encouraging. He always inspired Saina to make efforts and win medals in the tournaments.

The year 2001 entered with a big event in her life. Saina participated in the K.M. Munshi Memorial Badminton Tournament. This was an annual event held in her school. Saina was supposed to play at the All-India level and won the match.

Year 2002 was a glorious period in Saina’s life. In the month of July, she participated in the Hyderabad District Badminton Championships in about 6 categories:

•    Under-13 Singles and doubles

•    Under-16 Singles and doubles

•     Under-19 Singles and doubles

Saina won the all!!!

Saina played at the national level. She went to play around 36 tournaments. The categories again comprised of:

•    Under-13 Singles and doubles

•    Under-16 Singles and doubles

•    Under-19 Singles and senior women’s

Saina won about 28 gold medals and five silver medals within the third year of her game. This little girl was barely 12 years old then.

Saina was growing and her ambition grew with her. She was in class 10th now. This is a crucial stage for every student’s life. In India, a child’s future is predicted by the numbers he or she scores in the board examinations. The pressure is killing. But for Saina, it was like any other examination that entered in her life with each new class she attended. This time around, Saina was away for an international tournament, ‘The Junior German’. She also participated in ‘The Dutch Open’.

She returned to India just twenty five days before the board examinations were scheduled! Of course, there was no time for her to study. But it was her duty to attend the exams and before she did, the cramming session started. In fact, she crammed the entire year’s portions within those twenty five days! Poor girl!

One of the worst moments during tenth standard exams were her cramming sessions during social studies paper. It was really tough and she couldn’t do it all on her own. So Dr. Harvir Singh and Usha Nehwal supported her. They helped her understand the lessons. The paper was more than a nightmare. Since, Dr. Harvir Singh knew the condition of his daughter, he accompanied her to the school and waited until Saina finished the paper.

Finally, the girl came out of the examination hall. Dr. Singh couldn’t wait to know how his daughter fared in the exams. He asked Saina to narrate the answers she wrote for the paper. But Dr. Harvir Singh was shocked. He told Saina that she will fail.

The entire family waited for the results. This was a difficult moment for everyone. But all’s well that ends well. Finally, the results were out and Saina passed her exams with an aggregate of 65 percent. And Dr. Harvir Singh was surprised to know that his daughter scored 75 percent in social studies, highest in any subject!

The 10th standard results were a huge relief for Saina. She was happy to overcome all hurdles and pass the examination with a decent score.

Saina was 15 years old now, crucial period in any individual’s life! This is the time when one decides about future and career options. Saina had no confusion in her mind. The goal was crystal clear. She wanted to become a professional badminton player. Her motive was to make her country proud.

In 2003, Saina played eighteen tournaments at national level:

•    Under-16 Singles and doubles

•    Under-19 Singles and doubles

•    Czech Junior Open

Saina won 16 tournaments and was the runner up for two of the tournaments.

Finally, Saina disclosed her secret ambition to Dr. Harvir Singh who wasn’t really convinced with the idea. Of course, he was confident about Saina’s spirits, skills and willpower. But he wasn’t really convinced about the scope for an immensely talented player like Saina in India. She was consistently beating op players and winning tournaments. Moreover, Dr. Harvir Singh wasn’t sure of the better choice – a doctor or badminton player.

Soon Saina enrolled into class 11th at St. Ann’s School. Her subjects were – Chemistry, Civics, and Economics. But the girl faced many troubles attending school during this phase of her life. Her practice sessions got more rigorous and stringent. She had to devote a lot of time and energy to be able to cope with studies.

By the time, she passed her 11th standard exams, Dr. Harvir Singh was convinced that his daughter will play badminton professionally. This way, badminton was etched into Saina’s future.

In 2004, Saina started playing at international level. The busy schedule left her with very little time to play in India. However, as an ardent player, she managed to play the Under-19 Junior Championships and walked away with victories in the singles and doubles titles.

One of the major achievements in Saina’s life arrived in the year 2005. She equalled ace badminton player Prakash Padukone’s record in the following tournaments:

•    Under-16

•    Under-19

•    Senior Nationals

•    India International Satellite

In the year 2006, Saina travelled all the way to the Philippine Open. This was the tournament that began with a gold for her. Unfortunately, the dates of the tournament coincided with that of her exams. Saina chose to participate in the tournament. This was a big decision for a school going girl but not for a badminton lover.

The media headlines highlighted the news saying ‘Saina skips exams to win a tournament’. The entire nation was proud of her. After all the ‘four star tournament’ was won for the first time in India. This was one of the Gold Grand Prix events. The team didn’t win but Saina won gold. The event inspired her a lot and boosted her confidence levels.

The school was cooperative too. It allowed Saina to skip exams and encouraged her to play for the country. They knew she would make the whole country proud one day. This was a proud moment for Saina too.

The year 2008 arrived with an opportunity to participate in the Under-19 World Junior Badminton Championships. The championship was organized by the Badminton World Federation. Saina really worked hard to win it.

The same year, Saina was invited to school as chief guest for the Sports Day. This was an emotional moment for the budding badminton star. The moment she took her place on the podium, the dean addressed her as ‘madam’. This was unbelievable! The shock was enough to make this teenager fall off the chair. This was also the moment Saina understood what she has achieved in life.

The rigorous training schedule and regular touring for tournaments within India and abroad had left very little time for Saina to concentrate on studies. She gave up studies after giving exams for 11th standard.

Saina’s Journey to the Top

So, how did Saina made it to the top? Did she face many troubles? Well, to reach to a certain height in any field, one must face struggles and overcome them. In case of badminton, the game needs to be played step by step. There are no shortcuts in the dictionary of badminton. So, Saina moved ahead slow and steady. She had her goals set. First, district level, then state level, national level and then international level.

At the age of twelve, Saina participated in the team event of Commonwealth Games. Aparna Popat, the best women’s player in India was the main player in the event. All eyes were on her. Saina was a mere junior player. Hence, her duty was to spend time on the bench. The badminton lover was not quite happy to spend time in idleness. She wanted to rush to the court and test her skills.

However, the experience proved to be a significant for budding player, Saina. She could see the how experienced players acted in the court, their strategies etc. Her major focus was Aparna. She learnt a lot from her. This was also the moment when Saina yearned to be a part of international circuit.

By the grace of God, Saina got this opportunity in the year 2003. Saina was selected for Czechoslovakia Junior Open in Prague. It was an Under-19 tournament. She was 13 years old and an unranked player then. Saina played 5 rounds before reaching finals and won gold. But her performance was appreciated. It was her first international tournament and she managed to beat players ranked between World Numbers 60 and 20 (senior category). Saina always believed in trying and winning. Rank is just a number. Badminton is all about trying hard and learning from past experiences.

“Every player who makes it past qualifying matches has a chance to win.”

– Saina Nehwal

The tournament was an inspiring experience for Saina. It filled her with immense confidence. She knew what it takes to play an international tournament. After the game, there was a celebration. Anand Pawar, one of Saina’s team-mates had won the boy’s championship. Both players organized a dinner treat for the rest of team members and enjoyed. That night, Saina had chocolates to her heart’s fill.

By the age of 15, Saina started playing in the Seniors Nationals. The year was 2005 and lost it to Aparna Popat. Thereafter, she played for the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament and won.

When it comes to enjoying top position in badminton, the kind of tournaments played by a player also matters. In Saina’s case, although she had started playing internationally, there was more to do on her part. It was time for her to focus on ‘big’ tournaments. This time, this young girl was eyeing at Uber Cup 2006 tournament. It was to be held in Jaipur.

The tournament started and Saina won every game she played. However, the team lost and couldn’t reach finals. She couldn’t do much. The loss was big but it couldn’t dampen the spirits of a young girl.

Despite the loss, Saina was determined to focus on the next big tournament. Her eyes were set on the Commonwealth Games 2006. She actually hoped to play in the tournament. So, Saina prepared herself for the game.

Aparna Popat was the main player in the tournament. Saina acted as a standby. Aparna being the senior-most player was assigned in every game. She got injured in one of the games. When the experts conformed that Aparna cannot play, Saina decided to contribute to the team. She informed her team coach Vimal Kumar about her willingness to play.

Although, Vimal Kumar knew Saina was a novice in the international arena, he gave her the green signal. This was Saina’s first ever ‘big’ match in the international arena. The tournament was difficult but Saina managed to reach the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, Xing Aiying (Singapore) won the match.

The team lost the tournament but it still earned a lot of popularity by winning a bronze. This was also the game where Saina got noticed as an international badminton player. Saina’s confidence was boosted to a great extent.

Saina followed this success with the Phillippine Open tournament. It was a big tournament indeed and Saina won gold. This was the big moment in the young player’s life but no one was present from India to commemorate the event other than her coach Bhaskar Babu. None of the players made it past the preliminary rounds. They had left for Indonesia, Jakarta to participate in Djarum Indonesia Open, another tournament. Saina celebrated her victory all alone in her room.

Saina won over Malaysian player Julia Wang. The World Number 66 player was beaten in straight sets. What’s more? The promising Indian player also won 9,000 USD. Unfortunately, Saina had little time to enjoy the money and nobody to join. Saina had to join the Indonesia team soon.

Joining the Indonesian team was a difficult phase in this dedicated player’s life. She couldn’t get through with her tickets. Hence, they were to be cancelled and book again. So, she decided to make her way to Manila. From there, she headed towards Jakarta and then finally made it to Malaysia. The tour was exhausting and extremely stressful. The tour matters are handled by a team manager. However, this time Saina has to take care of everything.

The exhausting long trip left with her no time to rest. This was also the reason she lost in the first round. The Indonesia Open started by stress and fatigue didn’t allow the player to have an upper hand on opponents. Saina wasn’t worried about this loss as she knew she had it her. And as a player, she knew victories and defeats were part of being in the court. But there was someone who had to do much about winning and losing tournaments more than Saina! It was the media – the same media that declared Saina as the rising sun of Indian badminton. Today, it didn’t take time to dash her down to the ground. The media had a lot to say about her defeat, the long tour, and mistakes she made.

The incident taught Saina many lessons. She knew that every move she made was observed by the media. The badminton player was now supposed to focus on what she says, wears, thinks, and opinionated.

After sometime, Saina had to participate in the Junior World Cup. The tournament was held at Seoul, Korea. Saina played well and made it to the finals. However, towards the end, she lost it to Wang Yihan. By this time, Saina’s career was at par with the top ranked badminton player in India, Aparna.

The journey ahead had many more challenges. In 2007, Saina participated in the Malaysia Open. The start was smooth and she managed to reach the quarter-finals. She flew straight to Patna from Kuala Lumpur. Here, she participated in the Senior National Championships.

In the month of March, Saina was supposed to play for a ‘big ticket’ game. It was the All England Tournament. But as a player, Saina lost it to the second round. The loss was disheartening to the young girl who was dreaming of making it big in the badminton arena.

Saina came back to India where the All India National Games was waiting for her. She won gold. Her victory was recorded both in individual and team events. However, she longed to carve a niche in the international arena. It was not that she didn’t get any chance to pay. In fact, in 2007 she got many chances to play for internationally. She went to Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Korea, China, Macau, France, Chinese Taipei and many more. However, none of the tournaments saw her surviving past first or second round. The year was quite tragic for Saina as a player.

There was a lot of pressure on her from the media, country, mentors, and the team to carry forward previous victory records. But the more she tried, more difficult it seemed for her to win. Her record breaking lows were making it hard for her to move ahead.

The record breaking defeat of Saina was enjoyed by the media. It got some news to feed the readers. It tagged her previous victories as a fluke. The leading newspaper of India that appreciated her achievements and filled pages about her success was busy making news out of her defeat.

At this point of time, Saina’s family stood by her. The year 2007 was slump for Saina. She had to go through a lot. Luckily, she got some support from the Mittal Champions Trust. She was signed on by the Champions Trust of Lakshmi Mittal, London-based steel baron that wanted to help her become an international champion.

Finally, the year ended and Saina knew that the next year is going to be significant for her career. The Olympics in Beijing was supposed to be a big event. She was ranked at number 23.

Saina qualified for the Olympics. It was a great moment for her. There were three rounds which she had to qualify. She beat Gryga Larysa from Ukraine, Ella Karachkova from Russia, and Wang Chen from Hong Kong and made it to the quarter-finals. For her, each round came as a big battle. This was a memorable moment for her and the entire country because it was the first time an Indian player made it to the quarter finals. All eyes were on Saina. But unfortunately, she lost it to Maria Kristin Yulianti from Indonesia.

In an interview, when she was asked what went wrong in the third game, she replied, “I could not read the drift once I changed sides. On many occasions, I expected her shuttle to land outside and left it only to see it land inside. I just could not read that. That also explains why I knocked a few shots wide and long.”

This was Saina’s maiden Olympic trip. It went down to 28-26 14-21.

Now, every badminton player dreams of pushing for the international circuit after carving a rock solid niche at the national level. These players yearn for making it big at the Super Series and the Grand Prix.

The Super Series

The Super Series for badminton can be compared to the Grand Slam in tennis. No wonder these are the most sought after series among aspiring and established players. The BWF Super Series is a badminton tournament introduced by Badminton World Federation (BWF) in order to improve the quality of the sport. It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007. The tournament is played in eleven countries (China hosts two events), with successful players invited to the Super Series final held at the year end. There are about thirteen tournaments in the super series category. These are spread throughout the years.

The next most important ones are the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold.

Grand Prix

There are two levels of Grand Prix Events – Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. These are individual events.

World Grand Prix Events have singles (men/women) and doubles (men/women/mixed) competitions and are open to all badminton players who are members of their respective national associations affiliated to the BWF.

Grand Prix tournaments are classified as Level 3 events, one below Super Series. The highest level of Grand Prix event is the Grand Prix Gold with a prize pool of US $120,000 minimum and Grand Prix with US$ 50,000 minimum. All Grand Prix events offer ranking points to players according to the classification of each tournament.

The Grand Prix events are gaining much popularity with Member Associations and the growth of the sport was again clearly demonstrated with a significant increase in Grand Prix tournaments. In 2011, 12 Member Associations successfully hosted the Grand Prix Gold while 4 Member Association hosted the Grand Prix events providing players with the opportunity to win a total of USD $1,805,000 in prize money.

Playing in India is all about participating in the Commonwealth Games, The Asian Games, and Olympics. This means there are about thirty-five or more international tournaments to play in a year. But sometimes, it is impossible for a player to play them all. All they can do is try to perform well in the games they are fortunate enough to take part in.

So in 2008, Saina did the same. She tried her best to get the taste of victory in the Chinese Taipei open and won. It is rated as the one of the most prestigious Grand Prix tournaments. The same year, Saina also made it to the Super Series Finals. She was the semi finalist in the series. So this way, the slow-moving 2007 in Saina’s life saw a new dramatic turn with the advent of 2008. She was busy with tournaments, championships and much more. This time, she was being observed as a serious player both by the media and badminton fans.

The year 2008 and its busy routine was just the start in Saina’s life. There was a lot to look forward to in the coming years. After all, she had trained a lot and had worked really hard to be a part of this game. It is the perfect time to reap rewards.

Saina ranked 200 and suddenly she climbed up to 28th position. This was indeed a huge achievement. Her major goal was to be ranked in the top 10 category. By the grace of Almighty and her consistent efforts, Saina’s dream came true in the year 2008.

Breaking into the world’s top ten was Saina Nehwal’s long-time dream, and she gave herself till the end of 2008 to reach there. On Thursday, the teenage sensation achieved both with a measure of comfort. With four weeks still left in 2008, Saina made the No 10 spot her own on the latest Badminton World Federation rankings. And by January 2009, she moved up one place and reached the number 9 position.

Saina continued her winning ritual and in 2009, she became the first Indian woman to win Indonesia Super Series. She also won the India Open Grand Prix.

So, when she walked into the P. Gopichand Badminton Academy in the evening, she was greeted like a superstar. The trainees, coaches, friends and well-wishers broke into an instantaneous applause. Receiving the accolades shyly and thanking everyone demurely, the girl got down to business straightaway. She tightened her shoe laces and began to warm up even before the din around her had died down completely.

In an interview followed by the tournament, Saina had said, “Celebrations can wait, but going through the regular grind is the most important thing for a player.”

Of course, Saina savour this moment and considered it as the most precious moment of her life. But she did not let her emotions get the better of her, especially in public. The best thing about Saina was that she remained the same regardless of her performance in a tournament. Whether it is victory, joy, defeat, or disappointment, the girl would just be the same.

In an interview for a renowned newspaper in India, Saina admitted that she was thrilled when her father called her up to announce her latest accomplishment.

She said, “I felt I was on top of the world when papa called.”

After this event, Saina was declared as the first Indian woman to achieve this feat in the era of new world rankings.

Her coach Gopichand was very excited to learn this achievement.

Gopichand said in an interview, “I always believed that Indian players are extremely talented but are not being offered good coaching. When I took over as coach, my important aim was to see a few Indian names in the top ten list. Saina started this process and I am confident that a few more will reach there soon.”

Saina became the second Indian woman to achieve this feat in the history of world badminton. Ami M. Ghia was the first to break into the top-10 of the Grand Prix world rankings in the year 1983.

The achievement served as the icing on the cake in a year in which she reached the quarter-finals of the Beijing Olympics and won the Chinese Taipei Open, her second Grand Prix crown and also reached the semis of the Singapore Super Series and the China Masters Super Series. The 18-year-old also won the Youth Commonwealth Games and the World Junior Championships in Pune.

Saina’s best year was 2010. This was the year in which she climbed up to the Number 2 position. It was the first time an Indian woman secured this position in the field of badminton. Saina holds an amazing quality. She just remembers the good times in her career that gives her a boost. The slump was erased from her memory. Saina just remembered her achievements, landmarks, trophies, and wins. She just relished being on top and getting accolades from fans.

Saina was proud to be an Indian and winning for her country was a pleasure. People had suddenly started to take notice of her. The entire world expected India to produce top badminton player. And Saina was definitely their choice.

For this budding badminton player, each victory counts. She also valued the accolades offered to her. The most prestigious one came in the form of Arjuna Award in the year 2009. This was soon followed by the Indonesia Open and the Chinese Taipei Gold Grand Prix. The moment was more special for her as Mr. Pullela Gopichand, her present coach was honoured with the Dronacharya Award.

In January 2010, Dr. Harvir Singh received a call. Saina considers this call as once in a lifetime. The call came from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The man informed Dr. Harvir Singh that his daughter was going to be honoured with Padma Shri and if she accept it. The call was dream come true for Dr. Harvir Singh. He was elated and conveyed the acceptance.

Incidentally, the following day was Republic Day and the news channels kept themselves busy reporting about Padma Shri winners. Saina’a name was endorsed with pride and the whole nation was singing her glorious achievements.

The award ceremony was conducted on 25th May. The young badminton player was happy to be at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The awardees were seated at the Durbar Hall of the Bhawan. The families were seated on the opposite side. Saina was honoured by the President of India, Pratibha Patil.

According to Saina, the president never spoke to the awardees. But as she went up the dais to receive the award, Ms. Patil informed her that she used to play table tennis. Saina was stunned and couldn’t react. Ms. Patil also added that Saina’s performance was not up to the mark at the Olympics. She also advised Saina to play well the next time. This was undoubtedly the happiest moment of her life.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the closest to her heart. This is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The term “Khel Ratna” means “sports gem” in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component.

The award was instituted in the year 1991-92 to supply the lack of a supreme national accolade in the field of sports. Predating the RGKR are the Arjuna Awards that have always been given to outstanding sportspersons in each of many sporting disciplines every year. The Khel Ratna was devised to be an overarching honour, conferred for outstanding sporting performance, whether by an individual or a team, across all sporting disciplines in a given year.

Only one among all sportspersons each year is selected for the award. For Saina, this precious moment arrived in the year 2010. After all, she deserved the award. The badminton player experienced a heart touching movement when both houses of the Indian Parliament gave her a standing ovation in December 2011. Another ovation followed in March 2012.

Some Special Moments

in Saina’s Career

Every sport star has special moments in his or her career. Super shuttler of India, Saina Nehwal is no different. She has played many tournaments and championships since she was a child. She definitely holds some special unforgettable memories with many of these tournaments. Here is a description of some of the most special moments in Saina Nehwal’s career.

The Junior Czech Open

The tournament was held in the year 2003. This was the beginning of Saina’s career. She believes that this game made her famous. Winning the Under-19 tournament in the international circuit was a dream. After this game, Saina was recognized as an international player. This was actually the starting of good things in Saina’s career.

The Philippine Open

The Philippine Open in badminton is an international open held in the Philippines since 2006. Saina Nehwal created history when she became the first Indian woman player to win a four-star badminton tournament. She defeated Julia Xian Pei Wong of Malaysia 21-15, 22-20 in the women’s singles final of the Philippines Open at Pasig City, Manila.

In an interview, Saina said “I am delighted and never expected to win such a big event so soon. My ultimate target is to win the All England championship one day.”

World Junior Badminton Championships

The BWF World Junior Championships is also known as the World Junior Badminton Championships. It is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to crown the best junior badminton players (under-19) in the world. The 2008 BWF World Junior Championships took place in Pune, India, from 29th October to 2nd November 2008. This is renowned as a very prestigious tournament. Saina worked really hard to win this tournament.

Saina’s victory was a matter of pride for India. It was actually the victory for Indian Sports. With this game, Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win badminton Super Series Title. In this game, Saina played really well. She varied her dribbles and flicks so well. She ran her rival around with a very tantalizing and beguiling mix and controlled the net play.

Indonesia Open 2009, 2010, and 2012

The 2009 Indonesia Open Super Series was the sixth tournament of 2009 BWF Super Series badminton tournament. It was held from June 16 to June 21, 2009 in Indonesia. Saina Nehwal scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament after she clinched the Indonesian Open title with a stunning victory over higher ranked Chinese Lin Wang in Jakarta. Saina clinched her maiden Super Series title beating Wang 12-21, 21-18, 21-9 in an edge-of-the-seat thriller that lasted 49 minutes.

Saina Nehwal during the women’s singles final medal ceremony

at the Indonesian Open 2009 badminton competition

in Jakarta on June 21, 2009

According to her former coach Pullela Gopichand, her triumph is the best ever performance by any Indian woman and at par with All England Championship titles won by Prakash Padukone. In the thrilling final, Saina (who was world number eight rank) at that time came from behind to outsmart world number three Wang. Saina took sometime to get into the groove as she struggled to gauge the game plan of Wang in the first game. Wang opened a 4-9 lead and rode on her smashes and better net play to pocket the first game as Saina was left to do the catch up act.

But the Indian ace rallied her way back in the second game. Saina levelled the score at 5-5 and then moved together with her Chinese rival till 17-17 before surging ahead to pocket the second game 21-18. In the decider, Saina was in her attacking best besides displaying better nerves in crucial moments.

After moving neck and neck till 7-7, Saina went out of control by engaging her rival in soft dribble and net play to widen the gap at 15-9 before reeling off six straight points to seal her place in history.

In an interview, Saina said, “It was a really, really tough and I love the crowd here. It’s really nice here. Whenever I enter the court, I feel like a champion here.”

All England Championship

Saina Nehwal holds her

gold medal after defeating

China’s Lin Wang

The 2010 All-England Super Series was a badminton tournament held in Birmingham, England, Great Britain from March 9, 2010 to March 14, 2010. It was the third competition in the BWF 2010 Super Series. It was held in the National Indoor Arena.

Saina ranked world No.3 during the tournament. She won a thrilling and tight encounter against former World No.1 Shixian Wang at the National Indoor Arena and reached the women’s singles semi-finals.

Saina beat the sixth seed 23-21, 19-21, 21-16 in a marathon Super Series Premier match which lasted one hour and 14 minutes. This was the fourth time Saina beat Shixian in her five career meetings. In the process, Saina also ensured the exit of all Chinese women from singles competition. Saina dictated proceedings from the start as her Chinese opponent was uncomfortable against her. This was quite obvious after her three consecutive wins in last three encounters.

Saina playing in All England Super Series, Great Britain - 2010

This tournament was a big deal for her. Since the tournament is categorized under the ‘oldest’ ones in history of badminton, Saina’s participation was quite significant. The tournament is held each year for over a century now. It is a dream of every player to win this tournament. In India, there have been only two All England champions; Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand. Saina became the first Indian woman to carve a niche in the tournament. It was definitely a big achievement for her.

Commonwealth Games, 2010

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3rd to 14th October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games to date. It was also the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998.

The media and the entire sports world termed Saina as India’s saviour after Commonwealth Games. Since, her victory propelled India to the prestigious number 2 position in the medals score, Saina was honoured and revered for her achievements. She also became a household name in most of the Commonwealth countries where badminton was a popular and highly respected game.

Saina during the

Commonwealth Games,

New Delhi, 2010

Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman to enter the finals of the Commonwealth Games badminton event. History was made at the Siri Fort Complex in front of home crowd, when she easily defeated Susan Egelstaff of Scotland in straight sets 21-10 and 21-17.

The spectators’ cheered for her as she stepped onto the court which was the last game of the day. Because of her unforced errors, Saina lost the initial points and the crowd also fell silent. However, the match transformed into an entirely different level as she recomposed herself and took to the winning stride.

She swiftly snatched the first set in just 12 minutes from Egelstaff. However, the next game saw Susan pressing force. She started advancing which was powered by some aberrant faults committed by Saina at the net.

Fear spellbound the home crowd when Susan took a 17-16 lead from Saina. However, with maximum levels of diligence she advanced with a five pointer to enter the finals.

With this game, top seed Saina Nehwal became the first women Indian shuttler to win a gold medal in a singles event at the Commonwealth Games. This wasn’t easy for the ace shuttler though. She had to go through a grueling three-game victory over Mew Choo Wong from Malaysia in the individual badminton event. Saina actually bounced back from a game down to battle past Wong 19-21 23-21 21-13. It was a nail-biting 70-minute title clash in the women’s singles amidst the continuous cheering from the enthusiastic crowd at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

In the first game, Saina struggled a lot to judge the shuttle. She also lost few points at the forecourt and nets. The game actually slipped out of her hands after she trailed 8-11 at the break. But Saina wasn’t ready to give up. She came back strongly in the second. Her skills were displayed by increased number of cross shots and constant pushing of the shuttle at the back in the long rallies. This way, she came back from a 0-2 deficit to lead 14-10.

But Wong tapered the gap and wrested the lead at 21-10. Saina soon closed the game with two more points to roar back into the challenge. In the decider, Saina implemented a similar strategy and kept her rival away from the nets. She also used deceptive drops and tosses as weapons to lead 11-7. Saina secured her lead as Wong’s game crashed.

Wong kept hitting the shuttle out of the court and hit the nets in the final point. Saina’s happiness knew no bounds and she burst into tears. She ran into her mentor Pullela Gopichand’s arms as a gesture of gratitude.

Singapore Super Series, 2010

The 2010 Singapore Open Super Series is a top level badminton competition which was held from June 15, 2010 to June 20, 2010 in Singapore. It is the fifth BWF Super Series competition on the 2010 BWF Super Series schedule. The total purse for the event is $200,000.

This was one of the most important tournaments in Saina’a career. She won the Singapore Open with a straight-game triumph over qualifier Tzu Ying Tai in the finals. Top seed Saina took just 33 minutes to beat Chinese Taipei’s Tai 21-18 21-15 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The jubilant player confessed in an interview, “I never expected to reach the finals as there were two good Chinese players in the draw but I believed in myself and got the result I wanted.”

Hong Kong Super Series, 2010

Hong Kong Super Series is a top level badminton competition. It was last held from November 13, 2012 to November 18, 2012 in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is also the twelfth BWF Super Series competition on the 2012 BWF Super Series schedule. The total purse for the event was $350,000.

For the year 2010, it was the last of Super Series tournaments for that year. She won the title. It was the fifth gold in Saina’s treasure box. The best thing about this match was the Indian involvement in it. For India, Saina was bringing the medal after a gap of about twenty-eight years. The only India to have won this title was ace badminton player Prakash Padukone.

Saina Nehwal had to beat China’s Shixian Wang 15-21, 21-16, 21-17 to clinch the Hong Kong Super Series badminton title. Saina fought her way to the final with a gruelling three-game victory over sixth seed Juliane Schenk of Germany in Wanchai.

Saina became India’s pride after earning a 21-19 17-21 21-12 win over Juliane in a 53-minute women’s singles semi-final match. She focussed on playing a tactical game after she lost the first game. Saina actually clawed her way back with some fast-paced rallies. Her dynamic smashes were enough to outwit the Chinese world number five. In the second game, Saina jumped to 11-5 from 5-5. However, Shixian narrowed the gap to 11-10 before her and rushed forward to 19-11 by registering seven straight points.

Saina missed a couple of points on the baseline and nets. This allowed Shixian close the gap to 19-16. However, the Chinese soon hit the shuttle out and Saina was back into the match. Towards the end, Saina and Shixian were engaged in a gruelling battle. Both didn’t give up an inch to each other.

Shixian continued to push the shuttle at the back court. However, Saina was determined and gave her best. She actually sent down some powerful cross court smashes to open up a 5-0 lead.

But Shixian managed to narrow the gap owing to a couple of misjudgements on the baseline. The Chinese started playing fast rallies. She caught Saina at the nets to hit the big time 6-7 but a series of spontaneous errors and a breathtaking cross court smash saw Saina change sides with an 11-9 lead.

Saina was back into her winning form and involved her rival in long rallies. She waited for Shixian to commit some errors. A controversial baseline call gave Shixian a lead of 14-13. However, Saina was in no mood to give up. She wrestled the lead at 15-14, before being locked at 16-16.

This was the turning point for Saina who walked away with a three-point cushion with a smash, a net dribble and round-the-head drop to move to 19-16. Shixian soon managed to get another point with a smash and made it 19-17. But Saina soon acquired the match point with yet another smash that floored Shixian. The Chinese hit the shuttle out and India’s pride, Saina threw her racket to the audience in celebration. It was a proud moment for Saina and the entire nation.

BWF Masters Tournament, 2011

The 2011 BWF Super Series was the fifth season of BWF Super Series. This season marked the beginning of second-three year cycle of the event since the first one from 2007 to 2010. Few changes were announced by Badminton World Federation (BWF), as India promoted as one stage while Swiss was dropped off as part of it. Five tournaments were promoted as Premier Super Series event with more prize money awarded then the Super Series tournaments. The Masters Finals was held in Liuzhou, China from December 14–18, 2011.

The BWF Masters Tournament is definitely the tournament where the best players across the globe compete to win the biggest prize money. Usually, the top eight players from Super Series tournaments of the previous year are eligible for playing this game.

Since Saina was on a winning spree for the entire 2010, she was invited for the game. Saina considered it an honour to receive the invitation. And she made it to the finals. Saina always considered Indonesia as her second home. Here, she won the crowd over with her fighting spirit all week. She had spent four-and-a-half taxing hours on court in her last four matches. But this high spirited girl didn’t show a sign of physical exhaustion. This was remarkable on the part of a badminton player.

Saina Nehwal playing the BWF

Masters Tournament, 2011

However, after reaching the finals, this fantastic player let slip the early advantage as she went down to world number one Wang Yihan. She had to sign off as runner-up in the BWF season-ending World Superseries Finals.

The world number four, the first Indian to make the final of the prestigious event, lost 21-18, 13-21, 13-21 against the Chinese in a contest lasting over an hour. With this win, Yihan kept her 100 percent record against Saina intact, having now beaten her in all their four faceoffs so far. In the first game, leading 11-8, Saina failed to judge the sharp drops from Yihan who mixed her shots very well to deceive the Indian and narrow the gap.

Saina became anxious and lost a point for hitting outside before being called for a fault as Yihan made it 14-14. With a powerful smash, Saina moved to 16-14 but a couple of weak net shots meant she allowed her rival to close the gap further 16-18.

A long rally which ended with Yihan hitting the shuttle out gave Saina a 19-16 lead. But Saina hit one out to hand the service over to Yihan. The Chinese player used it for her own good and narrowed it down to 18-19.

After sometime, a good netplay together with some clear-cut cross-court shots allowed Saina a game point. She immediately made it count by pushing Yihan. But her fans were stunned by yet another unforced error.

The battle was getting interesting. Saina’s anticipation was good. However, Yihan’s accuracy couldn’t let her breathe. At 5-7, Saina involved Yihan in a long rally. Here, she earned a point using her trademark body smash.

Saina covered the court in an amazing manner. However, Yihan was adamant. She again managed to push the shuttle in irretrievable areas in an attempt to gain points. Saina levelled at 8-8 using a sharp drop shot. Yihan did not have a clue about it. But India couldn’t rejoice much due to some unforced errors by the Indian in conjunction with some quick drops. This made way to the Chinese enjoy at 11-9.

Soon, a stunning rally combined with some brilliant retrieves allowed Saina to level at 1-11. But Yihan couldn’t tolerate this and pinned Saina to the baseline and led 15-11 with the Indian hitting wide. Saina faltered with her return shots and succumbed to unforced errors. Yihan now widened the lead to 18-11. Saina did earn two quick points but once again she hit outside and and allowed Yihan the game point at 20-13. The Chinese player didn’t waste any time to attack back into the contest at 21-13.

Towards the end, Saina had a brush with unforced errors. This allowed Yihan to lead 3-0. Saina earned a couple of points but Yihan still led 6-3. The Chinese started dominating the proceedings and dictated the pace of the game. She also had some sharp cross-court drops and angled smashes. This helped her move to 9-3.

Saina slowly gathered herself and narrowed the gap to 6-9 but unfortunately, she lost a point at the net. The Chinese was ahead at 11-7. After the break, Saina earned a point but again a wide shot allowed Yihan to move to 14-8. The major drawback was unforced errors. They helped Yihan earn some more points to lead 17-8.

Saina strived hard and gained a couple of points. However, her return shots found the net and allowed Yihan move to 18-11 before closing it with a smash.

Yihan won the title and Saina, won her third runners-up.

Many More Moments to Come

Saina Nehwal believes in giving her best in each tournament and championship she participates in. Her never-say-die attitude has made her win many tournaments against top players across the globe.

Saina’s Coaches

– It wouldn’t have been possible

without her mentors

According to Saina, Badminton is a game where one can’t make it alone. One needs dedicated support from parents. Thereafter, proper guidance and encouragement from mentors is crucial.

Saina’s mentors played an important role in her life. She dedicates her success to each of the coaches who trained her. Right from her physical fitness to training for the matches, the physiotherapists and trainers played an important role in Saina’s life.

P. S. S. Nani Prasad

Late P. S. S. Nani Prasad –

Saina Nehwal’s first Coach

When Saina Nehwal wielded the racket and played her first game in Fateh Maidan Indoor Stadium back in 1998, it was SAAP coach Nani Prasad who could see a bright future for the shuttler.

Nani Prasad was Saina’s first coach. She trained under him for about a year. Prasad spotted her in Hyderabad. He agreed to take Saina under his wing as a trainee at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) summer camp in 1999.

Dr. Harvir Singh took Saina to the summer camp where he spoke to Prasad about admitting his daughter. Unfortunately, the last dates for admission were over. When Dr. Harvir Singh insisted, Prasad asked Saina to play. After watching her game, he said, “She has the potential and if you want to train her, bring her to me as a summer trainee.”

According to Saina, Prasad was among the first to tell her that one day, she will become one of the best players in the world. These words were very motivating an encouraging for the little girl.

“This girl will go places,” was the prophetic remark of Nani then and Saina proved him right.

Saina trained under Prasad at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. He was reportedly instrumental in convincing Saina to take up badminton. The stadium was open for her only in the mornings. So, Dr. Harvir Singh and Saina would get up at four in the morning and take the bus to the stadium. Prasad used to train Saina from six to eight in the morning.

Nani developed serious respiratory problems during the Commonwealth pre-event preparations in Delhi in 2010. The former coach fell ill while supervising the works at Siri Fort Complex in Delhi just before the inaugural of event. He was rushed to a hospital in a critical condition. The family went through a financial crisis due to the rising costs of treatment. In a touching gesture, Saina Nehwal took a lead by contributing 50,000 INR towards the treatment of her former mentor.

Unfortunately, Prasad couldn’t survive the illness. He passed away the same year after battling for his life for nearly a month. He was 54. He was also serving as the Deputy Director of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

According to Saina, Prasad’s death was a big blow to her and a huge loss for Indian Badminton.

Mir Mahboob Ali

While training under Nani Prasad, Saina took membership of the Nizam Club. She visited the court in the evenings under Mahboob Ali. He served as her sparring partner. Ali used to help her practise strokes. This was the most difficult time in her life.

Saina’s coach Late Mir

Mahboob Ali

The club was closed on Sundays. So, Saina’s mother took her to the IRISET Railway Golf Club. It was about 50 km away from her home. Wards and rewards never came his way, but badminton coach Mir Mahboob Ali (in pic.) mentored Saina Nehwal, doubles specialist Shruthi Kurien and the next shuttle sensation P. V. Sindhu, during the most difficult phase of their careers – the beginning. These are but a few big names to emerge from the IRISET Courts, Secunderabad, where he ran his scheme for almost a quarter century.

It was actually Saina’s mother Usha Rani, who turned the spotlight on Ali. According to Mrs. Usha Rani, Saina used to train for an hour privately under Mahboob Ali Sir, alongside her training at the Lal Bahadur Stadium.

Ali from Andhra Pradesh was supposed to play in the Asian Badminton Championships in Lucknow, 1965 but lost in the junior semi-final to a Thai opponent. In the fray were some of India’s greats, Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel, Dinesh Khanna and Gautam Thakkar.

Ali never graduated to the senior level, his father urging him to earn and learn. With player perks being hardly substantial for a living, an NIS course at Patiala paved the way for him to take up coaching.

His loyal friends Karuppan, Char, J. Sharma, R. Jyothi and Dr. K. Prahlad stood by him through thick and thin. Ali died on July 24. In an interview, he mentioned, “The respect my players enjoy is my wealth.”

According to Saina, the initial training she worked a lot. She has won the national under-10, under-13, under-16 and under-19 titles.

“I have never lost in my age group. I would also participate in higher age groups. So, sometimes, there would be a loss there, but it was valuable experience,” Saina had mentioned in an interview.

Mahboob Ali, died on July 24, 2011 in Hyderabad. He was 69.

S.L. Goverdhan Reddy and

S. Mohammed Arif

Syed Mohammed

Arif

Saina trained under S.L. Goverdhan Reddy and S. Mohammed Arif from 2001 to 2003. Goverdhan worked on her indoor training with court practice and strokes. Saina believes that coaches are more than just trainers for players. They are family and stay with them through thick and thin. Since coaches remain with the players through most intense moments of their life, they play a crucial part to a player’s performance.

Saina could clearly remember an incidence that took place in her life when she was twelve. Her mother met with an accident and suffered serious head injuries. Her coach Goverdhan was with the family within minutes. Mrs. Usha Nehwal got eight stitches on her head and her condition was declared critical.

Saina had to leave for the Junior Nationals at Guntur the next day. Dr. Harvir convinced her to leave for the tournament as there was nothing she could do besides sitting with her.

Mr. Goverdhan helped her recover mentally from this difficult time.

Syed Mohammed Arif was born on 29 January 1944. Also popularly known as Arif Saahab, the Indian badminton coach is a recipient of Dronacharya Award and Padma Shri Award winner. The Government of India conferred the coach with Dronacharya Award in the year 2000 for his sterling contribution to Indian Badminton – 2000. Arif was honoured with Padma Shri in 2012.

Arif has nurtured some of the top badminton talents in the country. Saina Nehwal was ‘special’ for him. The man can vividly recall the 1998 summer camp in Hyderabad. This was the place where coach Nani Prasad Rao selected an eight-year-old from a bunch of 250-odd kids. This child was Saina, just an average kid to start with. But Arif felt that the girl was a cut above the rest. This was evident as the days passed.

According to Arif in an interview to a popular magazine, “Saina was prepared to follow whatever she was told. She would never shy away from hard work and was always ready to push herself. She literally pushed her body to limits in the training. That is when I realised that she was a special talent and will go a long way.”

Saina trained under Arif at the Lal Bahadur Shastri indoor stadium till the latter retired as coach from the Sports Authority of India.

“At a young age, she used to compete in 4-5 events in age group tournaments and she would win. She was playing at the senior level when she was just 14,” said Arif in an interview.

Arif is also aware of the kind of sacrifice Saina’s family had to make in order to help her shine out.

“She used to stay far off from the stadium and we would start at 5.30 in the morning. Her father or mother would bring her along and pick her up. To do that for years was not easy. The family has had to sacrifice a lot and I am happy for them today,” mentioned Arif.

In the year 1984, the 57-year-old Hyderabadi was appointed India’s badminton coach by erstwhile Badminton Association of India president Fazil Ahmed, and since then he’s been grooming players for international duty. Syed Mohammad Arif is also referred to as the driving force behind India’s top men’s badminton player Pullela Gopichand.

Pullela Gopichand

Saina with her coach

Gopichand

Pullela Gopichand was born on November 16, 1973 in Nagandla of Prakasam district, (Andhra Pradesh). He is an Indian Badminton player. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in the year 2001 after defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals by 15-12, 15-6. He became the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone, who won it in 1980. Pullela was trained by Syed Mohammed Arif.

He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2001. But later on, his game was affected due to injuries and his ranking dropped to 126 in the year 2003. In 2005, he was awarded the Padma Shri. The same year, he started training Saina Nehwal.

At present, he runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy. He is a very renowned coach and winner of the prestigious Dronacharya Award. Pullela is also known to be the main force behind the emergence of successful players like Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap.

“She has a lot more belief in her and the desire to win is very-very intense. Not many players have that kind of huge desire to win,” said Pullela Gopichand about Saina Nehwal in an interview.

According to Saina, Pullela was a huge help for her at the Nationals in the year 2002. It was also the time when Pullela was planning to start a badminton academy. Since India had only one badminton academy, ‘Parkash Padukone Badminton Academy’, the young aspirants looked forward to opening up of new institutions all over India.

In 2003, Gopichand was offered space at the Gachibowli Stadium by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. The space had about ten outstanding courts for practise. Pullela’s own badminton academy took about 4 years to complete. It was finally inaugurated in the year 2008.

Soon, Pullela was conferred with the post of national coach. Students from all over the world thronged into practise the art. The academy is spread over 5 acres and comprises of about eight beautiful courts. Gopichand made it a point to equip the academy with hi-tech facilities and requisite elements to encourage students to take up the sport seriously. The place abides by international level facility requisites and rules.

According Saina, Gopichand is cooler as compared to other coaches she has known. She is impressed by her Buddha-like patience and even temper. He rarely reacts to the outbursts of his students.

Since, Gopichand had been Saina’s coach for the longest-term, they share a nice equation. His encouraging words help Saina focus on her goal and out do her best performance.

According to Gopichand, “Saina has done really well for India. She is India’s Gold.”

Soon after she started training with Gopichand, her schedule changed. His valuable experience and knowledge in the international circuit helped her a lot. Gopichand helped her stay impeccably fit and increase her stamina. Under his guidance, she learnt techniques like ‘Yoga Nidra’. It helps her maintain requisite energy levels and stay optimistic.

Saina feels that Gopichand had rearranged the structure of her training and it made all the difference. He made Saina an aggressive player. The training was extremely successful because within six years of training under the veteran, saina gained the coveted ‘number 2’ position.

“I couldn’t have done it without him,” says Saina Nehwal.

Pullela Gopichand has an ability to get very aggressive during the training sessions. This had been a great advantage for Saina. She used to get the opportunity to hit Gopichand back more aggressively and win the challenge.

Saina had once said, “Gopi Sir is the kind of coach Indian Badminton team needs.”

Gopichand is an avid watcher. He keeps close tabs on all his students when they are playing in a tournament. This helps him groom the players as per their flaws and strengths.

Saina Nehwal with Coach and Mentor Pullela Gopichand

Atik Jauhari

Atik Jauhari – Saina Nehwal’s

current coach

Atik Jauhari is the current coach of Saina Nehwal. He was born on 14th August, 1949 in Tangerang in Indonesia. He is a renowned badminton coach from Indonesia. Jauhari played as badminton Senior National Coach between the period 1999 and 2003 for Swedish Badminton Federation (SBF).

He coached the Swedish Team to reach the final round of Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in Malaysia for the year 2000. Jauhari is also the owner of the Atik Jauhari Badminton School (Sekolah Badminton Atik Jauhari). The institution is focused on talented youth Badminton Athletes and also open classes for professionals and groups.

The talented Indonesian master coach Atik Jauhari was at his highest spirits as he talks about Saina Nehwal. According to Jauhri, Saina Nehwal’s Hong Kong Super Series win has been one of the most satisfying results of his 29-month long stint with Indian badminton.

Jauhari prefers talking to his student in person rather than phone. He thinks that the manner in which Saina calculatedly decimated her Chinese opponent Wang Shixian in one of the tournaments is simply incredible.

Jauhari feels that Saina uses her mental toughness to win a match. According to the coach, even during a match that she could easily lose after going down in the first game, but it’s mental toughness that got her through. The coach remembers an instance where the girl worked around Wang and eventually prevailed (15-21, 21-16, 21-17). According to Jauhari, who has previously coached legends of the game like Indonesian Lim Swie King and India’s Prakash Padukone, it is a well earned victory for Saina.

Many have felt that Saina’s Asian Games was a huge disappointment and a shocking event. But Jauhari doesn’t feel that way. According to this legendary coach, there was less than a month between the New Delhi Commonwealth Games (Oct 3-14) and the Guangzhou Asian Games (Nov 12-27). And to add to this, since Saina won gold in Delhi there were loads of felicitation functions to attend too. This left her with absolutely no time to prepare for the Asian Games. So, for Jauhari doesn’t think her defeat in the quarter-finals of the Asiad is all that shocking. In fact, Jauhari feels that the girl has a very bright future ahead.

The coach believes that the golden age for a singles player is 25 and Saina has a long way to reach that peak age. Besides, most of her top opponents are older than her, which means they will quit the game by the time she hits her peak. He truly believes that Saina will make the entire world proud of her incredible badminton skills.

The Importance of a Mentor in a Player’s Life

Saina understands the importance of coach in a sportsperson’s life. They are the ones who enhance a player’s skills and encourage them to play better. A coach is closely related to a badminton player. They are aware of a player’s diet regime, training schedule, strengths and weaknesses. For a mentor, the task of nurturing a player and make him or her reach to the top is not easy. Since, they have to focus on many players at a time, understanding them and focussing on their skills can be nerve wrecking.

Saina believes that coaches work harder than players. For a player who has his session at 5:00 a.m. sharp in the morning, the coach needs to reach the court before that! They respect discipline and expect their players to do the same. This is their way to make a player respect time, the game and importance of court etiquettes.

Saina respects her coaches a lot. She feels that their absence affected her a lot. The top badminton player of India had always considered badminton academy as her second home. Even today, most of her time is spent in the academy. The coaches, her colleagues, and physios are her family.

Playing for India had always evoked a sense of patriotism in Saina. It is her way to pay a tribute to the country she belongs to. Winning is like contributing to the nation.

Saina’s Preparation Before Match

Thorough preparation is definitely important before a match. For Saina, the preparation routines are traumatic moments of her life. She usually starts practicing and preparing for a match about a few weeks prior to the scheduled date. And just about an hour before the match, she starts warming up and focuses on visualisation exercises. These exercises include:

•    Planning her move

•    Rectifying past mistakes

•    Understanding the demands of the game

•    Indulging in exercises that overcome her fears related to opponents’ ability

Saina keeps thinking that she can win despite who the opponent is. Proper guidance plays an important role in a player’s life. Her mentor Gopichand guides her through the best visualization exercises to make them more effective.

The Feeling of Patriotism keeps

her going!

She is at her most anxious state when she enters the court. Her heart races and hand shakes! However, the moment her name is announced as ‘Saina Nehwal from India’, she feels better. This removes tensions, anxiety, and worries.

She plays for her country, fans, parents and those who love her. She is proud to represent India and makes dedicated efforts to make the country proud. The Indian triclor on her shirt reminds her of her duty towards the country.

The Team Spirit

Saina has to travel with team on various tournaments. Sometimes, she gets together with other players on various meets and conferences including prestigious events such as Olympics and Commonwealth Games. During these occasions, she feels that the entire team shares a great sense of camaraderie. Here, there are no distinctions between caste, creed, religion or status. For her and all of her fellow players, boundaries just vanish when they play together.

The Training Academy

Most of the current breed of badminton players of India train at the Gopichand Academy. Here, the players for Indian team are selected on the following two factors:

•    The Current National Champion

•    The Runners-up

Other players with high international ranking are also offered training. This rule culminates into having three single players in the women’s and men’s singles and double categories. The rule prevails for the mixed doubles too. The academy shapes up around 15 national players. These players attend various camps under the expert guidance of national coach.

The coaches include about 1-2 national coaches, a female coach and a double coach. The team also comprises of a group of physiotherapists. They take special care of keeping the players in best shape and treat them for injuries.

Ideal Diet for a Badminton

Player & Saina’s Diet Schedule

Being a badminton player is not easy. One has to go through a lot of hardships and struggle. Most importantly, the player must maintain a specific level of stamina and fitness. The typical health diet fads recommended for people these days may not make for adequate stamina providing servings for badminton players. They have to undergo rigorous training schedules and go through a lot of mental work. Hence, the diet they need to follow demands a lot of care and planning.

Here’s what an ideal diet for a badminton player should comprise of:

Carbohydrates

Did you know no athlete will last even 30 minutes in a game without adequate intake of carbohydrates? These are the primary source of glucose for all the cells in the body. More than half of the food consumed in a day should be in the form of complex carbohydrates such as cereals, breads and pastas. It is crucial to opt for the unrefined ones that are high in fibre. One can include starchy fruits and vegetables in their diet such as potatoes and bananas. These are vital contributors of carbohydrates in daily diet. This is required to build glycogen reserves, which is very important on match day.

Choose nutrient-dense carbohydrate-rich foods such as cereals and porridge. You may even go for whole wheat breads, brown rice, pasta, potatoes and starchy vegetables, fruit and dairy products such as milk and yoghurt.

Sportspersons may use cold drinks, sports/energy drinks, sugar, jam, honey, syrup, sweets, jelly babies, marshmallows etc., can be used to boost their carbohydrate intake. However, since these foods are low in vitamins, minerals and fibre, they should not replace meals. Eating or drinking sugary foods and beverages between meals should be strictly avoided.

Proteins

A moderate intake of protein is sufficient to heal any muscle injury that occurs after the game. Proteins also help to build the muscles and keep them strong. A badminton player must refrain from taking too much protein as it can cause undue stress on the kidneys. Badminton players need only marginally high levels over the normal intake. 1- 1.2 g of good quality protein is ideal for an athlete and it should always be combined with carbohydrates for the best results. Lean meat, dairy and eggs are good animal sources. Pulses and beans are other options for vegetarians that can help an athlete get the required amount of protein for going lean.

Badminton players need protein for strength, growth and to build muscle. Rather than going out and buying expensive protein powders, it is better to enjoy eating protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, liver, low fat dairy products and legumes.

Fats

Fats are known to be an important source of concentrated calories. Hence, most badminton players are usually advised low fat diet. Too much dietary fat will cause weight gain which may impair peak performance. The primary sources of fats such as lard and margarine should be avoided by players. These are very harmful for the heart and overall health. Unsaturated fatty acids that are present in vegetable oils must be ideally used. Some of the best ones include olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and rice bran oil.

Fluids

A badminton player should aspire to stay well hydrated. His aim should be to drink just the right amount of fluids. Too little or too much can be a problem. The player should drink small sips of water before, during and after a game in order to play well. Health experts recommend energy drinks that contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.

The Key is to Minimize your FAT intake

It is important to steer clear from intake of junk food items such as chocolates, chips, biscuits, doughnuts, full cream dairy products, samosas, pies, chicken skin, fatty meats, oils, margarine, cream, mayonnaise etc.

Must Haves for Badminton Players:

Eat 2-4 Fruit and Vegetable Servings in a Day

Fruit and vegetables provide you with a range of vitamins and minerals needed to release the energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These vitamins and minerals are also required to protect you against diseases and help you recover from heavy training sessions and matches.

Portion Control

Each plate of food must comprise of about 1/2 to 2/3rds of carbohydrate-rich foods. It should also contain 1/3 Portion rich foods. The remaining (little amount) should be dedicated to fat.

High Carbohydrate Snacks

The idea is to go for high carbohydrate less fatty snacks such as fruit or dried fruit. You can also go for muffins or scones prepared from bran, special fruit bars, water ices, provita, hot cross buns, raisin bread etc. Other things that can be added to the diet include unbuttered popcorn, sports bars, low fat pretzels, marshmallows, plain biscuits (Maries), low fat yoghurt or frozen yoghurt. Low fat milk drinks are also suitable as snack choices. The best time to indulge in snacks is right between meals and after training. Having snacks after training or playing a match aids recovery.

Include Variety

You should add a variety of foods to your diet. This is important to increase your chances of deriving a wide range of nutrients you require for playing the tournament.

A Special Fluid Plan

This is especially important before, during and after training/tournaments. You need to bring at least 1 bottle of fluid containing cool and refreshing fluid to practices and tournaments. The bottle can be topped up as desired. The body need may vary between 500 and 800 ml/hr depending on body size, temp etc. Make sure you continue to drink after the match to make up for further fluid losses during the recovery period.

In case, the training sessions or tournaments are long and intense, you may use carbohydrate drinks such as sports drinks, glucose polymer powders, etc. Sports drinks/salty snacks provide sodium and so should be encouraged if sweat losses are high. Drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol should be avoided as this will encourage further fluid losses.

Tournament Diet Tips

Players should strictly avoid new dietary strategies on the day of a tournament.

2 Hours Prior to a Match

You should consume a light, easy-to-digest carbohydrate-based meal.

Examples:

•    Cereals with low fat milk

•    Cereals with yoghurt

•    Toast with honey

•    Fruits

•    Pasta (don’t use creamy topping)

•    Sports bars

•    Low fat chicken and rice

•    Cornflakes and low fat milk

•    A sandwich (using low fat cheese/ham/chicken)

No Appetite Diet

If you have no appetite or if you are unable to tolerate solid food, have a liquid meal supplement. Add a carbohydrate drink along with this meal. You should also carry on with fluid intake as recommended above.

After the Match (within 30 minutes)

•   Have 50-100 grams carbohydrates (250-350 ml smoothie or a liquid meal supplement) with fluid

•    A little lean protein

•    Platters of diced fruit

•    1/2 carton low fat yoghurt

•    2 cereal bars

•    70 grams pretzels

•    1 sports bar providing 50 grams carb

•    A sandwich with a low fat filling (lean chicken, low fat cheese)

•    A fruit

Understanding Supplements

Badminton players usually take supplements to enhance their energy levels and play well. These are quite helpful too. However, one needs take these under expert guidance. A trained medical practitioner or sports health expert needs to choose supplements as per the requirements of a player. The idea is to ensure safety, appropriateness and that the supplements do not contain any prohibitive ingredients.

A world class athlete’s requirements for diet and exercise are different from a normal individual. Hence, it’s important to take care of what goes into the diet and the authenticity of supplements.

The diet chosen should complement the stamina and other requirements of a player. Recommendation from a specialist is important.

Here’s a sample meal plan for an active badminton player could follow for a typical training day:

Breakfast

•    Porridge consisting of 80g oats and 250 ml skimmed milk

•    2 slices multigrain toasted bread with olive oil based spread and peanut butter

•    Fresh fruit juice - 250ml

•    Tea/coffee

Mid-morning Meal

•    4-5 oatcakes with low fat soft cheese

•    A fruit

•    Drink

Lunch

•    Multigrain sandwich with olive oil based spread and lean chicken

•    100 grams mixed nuts, seeds & dried fruit

•    Mixed salad

•    Low fat yoghurt

•    Drink

For Badminton practice/cardiovascular exercise

Sip plenty of water/electrolyte replacement sports drink throughout

Immediately post exercise

•    25 grams whey protein powder

•    25 grams dextrose in water

Evening Meal

•    Lean fillet steak or chicken breast or fish and herbs to taste

•    Boiled new potatoes

Or

•    Basmati rice

Or

•    Dry roasted sweet potatoes

Or

•    Whole wheat pasta

•    Loads of vegetables

•    Low fat yoghurt with no added sugar

•    Drink

1 hour pre-bed

•    100 grams cottage cheese/quark/low fat natural yoghurt

•    Item fruit

•    Small handful mixed nuts & seeds

•    Drink

The plan utilises slow released low glycaemic carbohydrates. This ensures a sustained energy intake required for training sessions. The above mentioned plan also provides adequate levels of all vital nutrients.

Caution:

However, the plan is merely a general guide to diet regime for Badminton player. The portion sizes should be adapted to suit a specific player’s body type, weight, stamina and playing requirements.

Men usually need larger portions than women. It is also vital to include a wide range of fish, meat, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables each day. Also drink plenty of water.

Saina Nehwal’s – Diet Schedule

Saina Nehwal, one of the most accomplished athletes in Indian sports is fit and focuses on staying healthy. A vegetarian from Hissar – Haryana, Saina has successfully battled with agile and strong players from China, amongst other countries. Saina’s tenacity and grit have won her many fans across the world. Today, Saina is recognized as one of the fittest players in India.

At 22, this amazing badminton player became the first Indian to win a medal in badminton at the Olympics. Apart from rigorous training schedule, Saina has always maintained a strict, healthy diet schedule. This young athlete believes that a balanced, healthy diet plays an important role in achieving this victory.

Female badminton players must consume a lot of calories from all macro nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Saina was born into a vegetarian home. However, once she embarked on her chosen career, Saina started eating meat.

According to Saina, “Players need strength and the only way to get it is through eating meat. I eat a lot of chicken and I believe it has helped me to gain strength.”

This Olympic gold winner had also given up junk food.

Here is a glimpse at the diet followed by this elite badminton player:

A High Carbohydrate, Moderate Protein Diet

In order to fuel the muscles, a carbohydrate rich diet with moderate protein and low fat content is recommended. This helps a player perform his/ her best at each game. They need a minimum of 3000 calories a day for all the vigorous hours of practice and training. Vitamins, minerals and fluids are also vital and must be present in balanced amounts on a daily basis. Popular low carbohydrate and high protein diets are not recommended by experts for a badminton player.

Prior to displaying her amazing badminton skills in the Olympics game, Saina lost 5 kgs to become fitter and leaner. To achieve this goal, she gave up all foods that were high in carbs and starch. This included all oily and junk food that give only empty calories.

Saina emphasized on having a lot of proteins that was mainly derived from non veg sources.

Early Morning

Saina’s day starts with a glass of milk.

Breakfast

Her best choices for a healthy breakfast are eggs and milk. This makes for a high protein breakfast which is needed by a badminton player.

Lunch

Saina’s lunch primarily consists of steamed or boiled chicken. This is important to accelerate repair and growth of the muscles that get strained due to physical activity. Proteins helps Saina stay lean and lose any excess body weight.

Dinner

Dinner consists of grilled chicken, steamed food and salads.

Saina avoids having carbohydrates after 7.30 PM.

Saina avoids rice and rotis as far as possible. She tanks up on protein shakes, and even resists the urge to snack on a burger.

The No-Nos for Saina

The Olympic winner does not indulge in ice creams and other sweets.

The Must Haves

She also drinks plenty of fluids to hydrate herself on a daily basis. On match days she takes small sips of water as and when she requires it.

Saina Nehwal surely did India proud by winning the bronze in the 2012 London Olympics. All credits go to her dedication and change in diet that helped her perform so well.

How to Be Mentally Prepared

Before a Game

Mental preparation is extremely important for a player. In fact, this is known to be one of the most important parts of an individual’s sports performance. Some players are blessed with amazing skills and incredible stamina to pay around for hours together, but if they are not mentally prepared they would not be able to implement their skills and stamina through the duration of “game time”.

Saina Nehwal prepares herself mentally prior to playing a tournament. So, how does she do it? She practices visualization. In fact, all successful players prepare themselves mentally via practicing visualization.

Here are some tips aspiring players can integrate into their lives to prepare themselves mentally before a game and increase their chances to win:

An Early Start

You need to prepare for a game the night before. This is important to get the grip of the event.

Visualize

You need to visualize the game and then replay it over in your head. Try visualizing yourself hitting homerun. You need to imagine yourself pitching a no-hitter. You need to visualize all that you are planning to do in the tournament. For instance, you may visualize yourself dribbling the ball and then swishing a three-pointer. Imagine your victory as much as possible.

Go Easy

Players should keep their mind at ease. It is important to try not to let anyone upset you.

Keep Calm

Staying calm and focused at all times is an integral part of preparing for a game mentally. If you are calm, nothing can come between you and victory.

Positive Pals

It is vital to have healthy discussions with encouraging, positive individuals. Strictly stay away from those with negative attitudes.

Less of Game

Focussing on game is good but make sure you don’t overdo it. You should not focus on the game too much. Since, you may make mistakes and get upset. This may also deteriorate your level of game.

Only Success

Try gathering all of your attention to just one thing; Success! Don’t think about anything else. You should think about the best times in your career and all the good things you do. Divert your attention to the positives you bring into being. Understand that your mind and body is one unit. What your mind sends to your body that is how it will react.

Have Fun

If you are stressed out, you will not be able to perform well. Look at the brighter side of the picture. Remind yourself that you have practiced a lot and the hard work will not go waste. But you need to excel in the balancing act. Relaxing too much and ignoring practise sessions can invite more harm than good.

Discipline is the Key

Saina has been practicing since she was a child. But she was a disciplined child and grew up to be more disciplined teenager. As a child, she sacrificed on playing with other kids and watching cartoons. Unlike other teenagers, Saina doesn’t get to sleep in, watch movies or hang out with friends. Her schedule is fixed. She gets up at 6 am everyday, 6 times a week and practices. Much of her success has come from just great discipline. This may sound a bit scary but achieving a celebrity status does not happen without sacrificing on certain things in life.

Discipline is something most players lack. To attain a status that Saina has already acquired in the sports arena, discipline is a must. You need to practice discipline in your lifestyle, the way you think, practise sessions, diets and exercise routines.

Awards and Honours

– A Part of Saina Nehwal’s Life

What makes most of us struggle, indulge in hard work and sacrifice certain things in life? Well, for some, money makes the world go around while others strive for recognition. Awards are a part of life and work towards boosting the spirits of those who wish to carvea niche in their respective fields. In short, each of us is driven by an entirely different set of compulsions.

But one thing is certain. Some professions are meant for those who want to make money and some, for those who want to discover themselves.

Ambition always begins with a dream, a purpose. And even though money may be an important part of it, it doesn’t really matters that much. Most people strive, excel, achieve for reasons other than money. It’s the desire to prove themselves.

But not all those who strive, succeed. That’s where the role of awards and public recognition comes in. Awards do not only acknowledge success; they recognise many other qualities: ability, struggle, effort and, above all, excellence. For every Shah Rukh who succeeds and hits the jackpot, winning wealth, fame and honour, there are hundreds of equally gifted actors who do not make it! For every Sachin, there are hundreds of brilliant young sports people in India who never get the grooming and the break they need. And, even when they do, they are stymied at every level by a disrespectful system.

Would you have heard of Aruna Roy or Deep Joshi were it not for the Magsaysay? Would you have gone out and bought Aravind Adiga were it not for the Man Booker?

Awards and recognitions play an integral part of a profession, especially those that bring individuals and their performance into limelight. When it comes to sports, a sportsperson is generally recognized for the number of victories he or she had and most importantly, the awards.

Although, not an out and out sports oriented country, there has been no dearth of incredible players here. Be it cricket (that’s what we know India’s sports as), hockey, tennis (thanks to Sania Mirza) and the recent fad among Indians for badminton, people have always had some time to spare for sports.

Sports Awards in India

Sports Awards in India are bestowed by the Sports Ministry, Government of India to various sports personalities in different fields for their accomplishments and outstanding performances. These awards include the Arjuna Award, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Dronacharya Awards Dhyan Chand Award.

Initially, the Government used to confer these awards to the sportspersons for their performances in all types of competitions. However, from the year 2001, the Sports award is given only in those disciplines that fall under the categories like the Olympic Games or the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games or the World Cup or World Championship disciplines and also in Cricket. These awards are also given for the Indigenous competitions and for the Sports for the Physically Challenged.

Some of the most reputed and popular Sports Awards in India are mentioned below –

Arjuna Awards

The Government of India established the Arjuna Awards in India in the year of 1961 for the outstanding performance from the sportspersons in sports and games. The Government has modified the format of Arjuna Award very recently and as per the revised schematic guidelines a sportsperson must have very good consistent performances for the previous 3 years at the international level to be considered as eligible for the Award. The person should also have excellence in his or her respective field of sport for the year for which the Award is recommended he or she should show some extraordinary qualities like the leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline in his or her own field throughout his or her career. The Government gives a statuette of the legendary warrior Arjuna, a scroll of honour, a ceremonial dress and also a cash award of an amount of Rs.3 lakhs to the Awardees.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Award

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Award is given primarily to the top overall winners in the Inter-University Tournaments, as these tournaments are a very much integral and important part of games and sports in the universities and colleges and they also play a very important role in supplying the talents to the country. This is actually a rolling trophy and a small replica of the Trophy is also awarded to the University for Retention. A Committee that is constituted by the AIU recommends the award of the MAKA Trophy. They usually send their recommendation to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India each year. They recommend the names of 4 Universities according to the order of merit mentioning their score and also giving the calculation sheet.

Dronacharya Award

There is another award in India that is named as the Dronacharya Award and the Government of India instituted this honourable award in the year of 1985. The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of 500,000 INR. The award was instituted in 1985. The award is named after the very famous archery coach, mentioned in the epic of India known as the Mahabharata. This very award is not related with the sportspersons who are still playing in the field; instead this is related to those eminent coaches of any particular sport. These coaches are selected by their performance of being successful to train the sportspersons or teams and also help them to achieve the outstanding results in the international competitions. The person, who gets the award, receives a statuette of the great Guru Dronacharya, a scroll of honour, a ceremonial dress and also a cash prize.

Dhyan Chand Award

Dhyan Chand Award is India’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by the Government of India. The award is named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. The award was initiated in 2002. The award carries a cash prize of 5 lakh (500,000 INR), a statuette, ceremonial dress and a scroll of honour.

The award is given to the veteran sportspersons of India for their lifetime achievement in their respective field of sport. It is also named as the Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in Sports and Games. This is new award that is instituted by the Government of India in the year of 2002. The main objective of the award is to show honour to those sportspersons who have contributed a lot to their respective sports by their performance and still continue to contribute to the promotion of sports even after their retirement from the active sporting career.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is the highest honour bestowed to a sportsperson for his/her achievements in India. The award was instituted in the year 1991-92 to provide honour a supreme national accolade to various achievers in the field of sports. The words Khel Ratna, literally mean Sports Gem in English. The award is named after the former Prime Minister of India, late Rajiv Gandhi. The award comprises a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component.

Other Sports Awards in India

Apart from the awards that have been discussed so far, there are some other special awards from the Indian Government that are being given to the medal winners in the international sports events. In this category of the award, the Government gives away some cash awards. These cash awards are given for winning medals in the international championships like the Olympic Games or the World cup or World Championships or the Asian and Commonwealth Games or Championships. The players who become victorious in the game of Chess and Billiards or Snooker as well as the junior sportspersons who win medals in the World, Asian and Commonwealth Championships, are also given these awards.

Sports awards in India are bequeathed by the Government of India to honour the players who have performed very well in their field of sport. It is organised and conducted to enhance the spirit of players and recognise their skills and achievements.

Awards won by Saina Nehwal

Year 2009 - Arjuna Award

Badminton champion Saina Nehwal was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna award for sporting excellence, in the year 2009 following her success at winning the Indonesian Open Super series title, apart from winning other prestigious titles such as the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold. The Arjuna award was handed over to Saina by the President of India, Pratibha Patil at the presidential palace in New Delhi. The Arjuna awardee is given a statuette, a scroll of honour, ceremonial dress and a cash award of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Saina Nehwal being felicitated with Arjuna Award

by former President of India, Ms. Pratibha Patil

at the presidential palace in New Delhi

On receiving the Arjuna award, the then 19-year old Saina Nehwal dedicated the award to her parents and her coach Pullela Gopichand, and said that the award would motivate her to go for gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

Year 2010 - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Saina Nehwal was awarded the “Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award” which is India’s highest award for excellence in the field of sports, following her terrific achievements in badminton in the year 2010. The Khel Ratna award consists of a bronze statuette, citation and cash prize of Rs.7.5 lakhs for the award winner, and is handed over to the sportsperson by the President of India.

Hyderbadi shuttler Saina Nehwal, however, could not personally collect the prize from the Indian President Pratibha Patil gave on 29-Aug-2010 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, as she had not yet returned from Paris, where she lost in the quarter-finals of the World Championships.

Saina was almost an automatic choice for the Khel Ratna, due to her phenomenal rise in the badminton world as she rose to no. 2 in the badminton world rankings and had won 3 super-series tournaments in 2010, apart from winning other prestigious titles the same year. She earlier had been the world junior badminton champion apart from having surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Year 2010 - Padma Shri Award

Saina Nehwal receives Padma Shri Award from

President Prathiba Singh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi

Saina Nehwal won the prestigious Padma Shri award in Jan-2010 barely 4 months after receiving the Arjuna award in 2009. The award carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Year 2012, London Olympics-Bronze Medal

•    INR 1 crore (US$189,000) cash award from the Haryana Government.

•    INR 50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Rajasthan Government.

•    INR 50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Andhra Pradesh Government.

•    INR 10 lakh (US$18,900) cash award from the Badminton Association of India.

Saina’s Injury Free Career

Saina Nehwal, one of the most proficient athletes in Indian sports, has undoubtedly a lot of fitness secrets to share. A vegetarian from Hissar – Haryana, Saina has successfully battled with agile and strong players from China, amongst other countries. Saina’s tanacity and grit have won her many laurels and fans across the globe.

Badminton is a sport that requires strong muscular strength, high endurance and not to mention levels of fitness needed to display by a prayer. Saina Nehwal has all this and more. But the most incredible thing to note here is that Saina had enjoyed an inury free career. It is definitely remarkable for a badminton player. But how did she manage it anyway?

There’s a a lot to learn about diet and fitness plans from athletes like Saina, especially because they are not all that different from us in terms of upbringing and food habits. It is true that the international stage is ruled by athletes from nations with diverse dietary and fitness outlooks.

Most of the Indian athletes have had childhoods and opportunities similar to normal individuals. Hence, when someone like Saina comes along and competes on a world stage, it is crucial to get tips and incorporate them into daily lives.

There are many things that make Saina a super fit, high energy badminton star who has enjoyed an injury free career since she started playing.

According to Saina Nehwal, the badminton fitness completely depends on the sum total of a player’s body. One of the most essential ingredients is to remain free from any pains and ailments. Saina feels that she is really lucky in this respect. She also firmly believes in leading a happy, cheerful life. If it is about wininig a game, fitness is an integral part of her strategy.

To maintain apt badminton fitness, Siana performs a routine of exercises and practices schedules as scheduled by her coaches and physiotherapists. Her fitness routine comprises of endurance, agility and skill exercises. The girl also performs a lot of weights. Running is really important. Her daily routine includes sprint, jump and hop for about 65 minutes in a day.

This is not all. She feels that it is crucial to have breaks during severe fitness routine. Since, badminton is an intense sport Saina makes it a point to rest in between (about one week) depending on her schedule.

Just as any game, badminton demands mental fitness from a player. Saina too believes in maintaining a perfect mental fitness in order to ensure maximum out of a game. According to this skilled champion and an Olympic winner, mental fitness is extremely important in any kind of competitive sport. Hence, she performs yoga along with the audio routine recorded in her phone for at least two sessions in a day. She thinks that only a mentally fit person can fight for every point and square inch of court space.

When it comes to maintaining a dietary routine, Saina is very particular about what she should do. Hence, it is all about consuming very less quanitities of food thrice a day. Being a badminton player, she relies mainly on loads of juices, seasonal fruits, few vitamins and calcium substitutes and lots of milk and curd.

Though she was born into a vegetarian home, once she embarked on her chosen career, the girl started eating meat. She knew that she was going out of the family tradition and does not regret it. She feels that players need a lot of strength and the only way to get it is through eating meat. Hence, Sain now eats a lot of chicken and believes it has helped her to gain strength. Saina has also given up junk food.

Saina needs to maintain a high level of fitness while training for badminton. She would like to give her fitness level and training skills credit to her coaches and physiotherapists who know how to make her work that extra bit.

She religiously follows the tips and suggestions put forward by her coaches. And that’s what keeps her going.

Injuries are a part of a sports person’s life. Right from Sachin Tendulkar to Steffi Graph and Sania Mirza, everyone has had it. But Saina Nehwal considers herself lucky. In case of this skilled badminton champion, injuries haven’t been a very vital part of her career as yet.

What is the secret?

According to Saina, the secret lies in her strong and fit genes. Both her parents have been former state badminton champions of Haryana and have always believed in leading a fit and healthy life. Her basics have always been good and she has had professional coaches training from a young age. Also, she play only singles which helps a lot, according to the world champion.

Typically, her weekly routine includes 2-4 sessions of strength training, 3-6 sessions of endurance and 6-8 sessions of agility and moderate running as part of endurance training. As part of her strength training routine she does dumbbell pullovers, rowing exercises, military press for shoulders, heel raises for calf muscles and lat pull downs, amongst others. Her agility training is a customised routine including speedy bursts of running along with lunges, ab crunches, etc.

Saina think that there’s no life without fitness. Her take on exercising and maintaining fitness is that regardless of one’s age, it is crucial to exercise. It is vital for each and every individual to exercise for at least 30 minutes in a day. It will keep one fresh through the day and also gives one the strength to fight off illnesses. Another tip is to follow a disciplined lifestyle. Discipline is extremely necessary to incorporate into life especially if the priority is to lead a fit and healthy life.

A secret that has always kept Saina going is discipline. She follows discipline religiously. Unlike other teenagers, Saina doesn’t get to sleep in, watch movies or hang out with friends. Her daily routine (without fail) includes getting up at 6 am everyday, 6 times a week and practices. Much of her success has come from just great discipline. Discipline is something most people lack in their diets and exercise routines. For instance, most people know eating a certain thing is bad for them but they would still eat it, and the same goes for exercise. Discipline is necessary to incorporate into life especially to stay fit.

Saina is a world-class athelete. And maintaining an injury free career is an amazing achievement a player of her genre can make. Her dedication to game is what the world sees. But there is a lot more the player has to indulge in. Be it maintaining a steady diet, excellent stamina, fitness or high energy level, Saina has done it all. She knows what’s required and expected from her and works accordingly.

The dedicated girl understands that the entire country has high hopes from her. She would never let her fans and country down.

What Makes Saina Nehwal

Super Saina and a Winner?

Saina Nehwal, one of the Top 5 badminton players of the world today and winner of the Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sporting honour is an icon for youth.

So, what is it that makes Saina Nehwal a super success? What are Saina Nehwal’s secrets of success? What makes people call her ‘Super Saina’?

Well, there are many things that make Saina Nehwal what she is today. Researches and studies have proved that most successful people in this world depend on habits to acquire success. Success is attracted by the dedication and change within the individual.

Here are some habits that have proved effective among successful people across the globe and our own Saina Nehwal.

Proactive

It is said that proactive people are driven by values independent of the surrounding environment. These are also independent of how people treat them. Proactive individuals make use of their resourcefulness and initiative to find solutions within their area of influence and control. They don’t believe in reporting problems and waiting for someone else to solve them.

What about Saina Nehwal? Is she proactive? Yes. Saina Nehwal hails from a middle-class family in Haryana. Her father Dr. Harvir Singh is a scientist with the Directorate Oil Seeds research at Hyderabad. Her mother was a badminton player. Dr. Singh was also a skilled player. Both were former state champions in Haryana. Badminton was in her blood. She took to the game at an early age in life. However, potential for playing the game is one thing and realizing it as a goal is another. One needs to take it forward. The journey is tough. Dr. Singh spent over half of the monthly salary on Saina’s badminton requirements. Everything from rackets, shuttles, and shoes were of high quality and expensive.

This is not all. Saina had to travel over 20 km everyday and reach the stadium at 6 am in the morning to attend 2 hour training. She had to continue the long journey back home, and then travel again to attend school. Life must have been really tough for this poor little girl. The requirements for badminton reached a level where her father had to withdraw money from Provident Fund savings. The money was contributed to finance her training. Apart from this, she was also under the risk of lagging behind at school.

Considering all of the above stated factors, Saina and her parents accepted all this as beyond their means. They were satisfied with National level success Saina had achieved in her early life. Her family did not let go of the dream of their daughter making it big one day.

Imagine the Ultimate

It is important to start with the end in mind. Saina and her family nurtured a dream. The dream was to see Saina climb the pinnacle of success in the field of badminton. They never let go of the dream. For each tournament, Saina holds on to her dream of winning an Olympics medal. All her eyes are always on winning tournaments. She kept her eyes on her goal and world rankings just followed.

Practise and Focus

Of course, nothing is possible without practise and focus. And this is apparently what Saina Nehwal practices. Experts feel that these elements have undoubtedly been the single-most important reason for her success.

Did you know apart from the training that she does at the P Gopichand academy, she also further spends additional time on work-outs and fitness at home, as also on meditation? Well, success does not come easy and Saina Nehwal is the perfect example for this saying.

Saina Nehwal would also like to hang out with friends, spend time on movies, have fun & parties. But does she? In one of the interviews, her father said, “She did not do any of this for 7 straight years, especially those early initial years. Her entire concentration was towards practise and winning tournaments.”

Of course, Saina Nehwal now has recently gone ahead and had a trendy makeover recently and has started appearing in a few ads also, but as long as she still sticks to the ‘Put first things first’ policy, she should keep achieving fairly well.

Eat, Drink, Think, and Sleep Victory

Victory is not possible if don’t think about it or dream it. In fact, it should be one thing in your mind that inspires you to play. You need to focus on a diet that helps you get victory. The practice sessions should be targeted towards achieving maximum victories. When you have one thing in mind and your actions are towards the direction of your goal, success is surely yours!

Understanding Win-Win Situations and working on them!

When Saina Nehwal could not attend a super series tournament, due to nursing an injury, and the organizers still wanted her to come and talk to the media, a win-win situation such as video conferencing with the media was proposed.

Sportspersons also need to act strategically. In the above case, it was more of a win-win seeking mutually beneficial agreements. As regards win-win relationships, Saina Nehwal has worked with several coaches, prior to Gopichand also, and it must have surely been a mutually beneficial relationship for them. Saina focussed on developing her game whereas the coaches getting their best student ever.

Understand and Then be Understood

A sportsperson should understand and be understood. Over the years, Saina’s various interviews have reflected her concern for the second-rung badminton players who still have to struggle hard to keep going towards success. Be it Sania Mirza or Cricket or badminton in India, her views are clear enough, and can such clear views come without a clear understanding? The trait has helped Saina to be in the limelight for good reasons and in an acceptable way.

Connect Well

Saina Nehwal is a super badminton star. P Gopichand is a super badminton coach. The connection between the two of them, has led to success for both. The year that Saina won the prestigious Arjuna award for best sportsperson, also saw P Gopichand winning the equally prestigious Dronacharya award for best coach. This is how a well established, amicable and strong connection works.

Sharpen your Skills

It is crucial to take out ample time to sharpen skills. This is easy if you focus on working for physical, mental, social/emotional and spiritual dimension renewal and establishing a perfect balance between these dimensions. Sometimes, you need to look beyond the apparent. Apart from honing existing skills, one should also focus on various things that make up for a sportsperson’s recognition and so called ‘star value’.

When Saina Nehwal has opted out of tournaments due to nursing any injury (this is the time when she cannot practice badminton also), she has tried out different things, be it photo shoots, advertisements, and public appearances. Here, she concentrated on sharpening her social skills, meet necessary requirements and try and achieve a fuller work-life balance.

And when it comes to practising badminton, can anyone doubt that Saina Nehwal does not sharpen her skills? Her results on the badminton court are ample proof.

Some of the Significant Years in

Saina Nehwal’s Life

Saina Nehwal has been playing badminton since an early age. From the age of 8 years, Saina used to admire this sport so much she used to wake up at 4:00 am every morning and his father travelled 25 kms to the Lal Bahadur Stadium where Coach Nani Prasad used to coach her. As she grew, step by step, she became better and started playing international better. She was merely 13 years old when she started to receive national and international recognition.

Here is a list of some of the most significant years in Saina Nehwal’s career:

2008

In the year 2008, Saina won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold tournament, and reached the semi-final round of the LI NING China Masters Super Series tournament also. The same year, she created a history of the sorts when she became the First Indian Woman ever to reach the quarter-final round of the Badminton event at the Olympic Games. At the Beijing Olympic Games 2008, Saina faced the 4th Seeded player and the World No. 6 Wang Chen from Hong Kong in the pre-quarter-final match. Although, in the quarter-final match, she lost to Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia by 28-26, 14-21, 15-21.

Stage

Opponent

Result

Games

Points

First Round

Ella Dichl

Won

2-0

21-9, 21-8

Sccond Round

Larisa Griga

Won

2-0

21-18, 21-10

Third Round

Wang Chen

Won

2-1

21-19, 11-21, 21-11

Quarter-finals

Maria Kristin Yulianti

Lost

1-2

28-26, 14-21, 15-21

She won the 2008 World Junior Badminton Championships that are organized by Badminton World Federation (BWF). She also won the 2008 Commonwealth games that were held in India. In September 2008, she won the Yonex Chinese Luipei Open by beating Lydia Cheah of Malaysia 21-8, 21-19. Equally important, she was named the most promising player in 2008 by the BWF.

Saina had worked really hard to win. For this ace shuttler, it was a dream come true.

2010

Saina’s Sports Career Record in 2010

The important Sports Career Record of Saina Nehwal made in 2010 is mentioned below:

Native Indian Females Group

The renowned Indian badminton star, Saina efficiently led the Native Indian Females Group to the quarter-finals level of Ultra Cup finals. The youth icon also became the first Native Indian Lady to arrive at the partial great finals of season 2010 complete England Extremely Sequence prior to dropping to Tine Rasmussen, the champion.

Yonex Sun Rising Badminton Japan Tournament

Topmost seeded Saina achieved the semi-finals of the tournament 2010 dropping out to Xuerui, the unseeded champion and the great player of China. During the tournament, her trainer and mentor Gopichand recommended her not put in too much stress on herself. He knew that the reaction from some of frustrating home audience was disturbing her. He asked her to keep calm.

BWF Huge Corrt Silver

Saina defeated popular Wong M. Choo of Malaysia in the finals and thus justified her charging as a high ranked player at the competition. She also won award cash of $8,280 for winning this competition.

Singapore Start

Saina Nehwal was once again ranked as the number one at Singapore Start Extremely Sequence. She beat Lu LAN of China, the Globe champion.

Singapore Start

Saina won the second Extremely Sequence headline by beating T. Ying, the highly qualified player of China, Taipei in the finals 21–18, 21–15. The great Indian player succeeded the competition by beating the top 5 rated Chinese players. Saina won award cash of $15,000 for this competition.

24th September, 2010

Saina acquired the position of world number three for the female’s single men and women badminton sport world cup.

BWF Extremely Sequence

The renowned Indian player protected her Philippines Start super series headline in three challenging activities aligned with renowned player S. Sato of the country of the country of Japan, 21–19 and 13–21 / and 21–11. It was her important third important super successions headline as well as her only third subsequent headline following victories at Native Indian open games, in the country of Singapore Extremely competition. Nehwal once again highly won the renowned top award cash of around US$18,750 only for successful this competition.

15th September, 2010

With high 64791.26 factors, Saina Nehwal acquired a profession of great world position of number two just behind renowned player W. Yihan of China. Nehwal also won the prestigious gold honor in the popular female’s badminton singles in the Earth Games organized in Delhi. Saina defeat Wong M. Choo of Malaysia 19–21 and 23–21 and 21–13. The huge success meant a great thing for her.

12th of December, 2010

Saina Nehwal beat Wang, the great player 15–21 and 21–16 and 21–17 at an important final Hong Kong Extremely Sequence. This helped her win the significant 4th profession Extremely Sequence headline. Saina Nehwal confirmed her contribution for these years. The Hong Kong Extremely is a significant game of her life. The critics certified the game as the first renowned super series competition of Nehwal after a long gap of many weeks.

2011

Some of the major Sports Career Record of Saina Nehwal in the year 2011 is stated below:

27th January, 2011

Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Korea Open Super Series Premier in the second round. She was defeated by the Japanese Sayaka Sato in a tight 3 set match. The score was 17–21,21–19 and 21–11.

11th March, 2011

Saina was quite disappointed to be defeated by Eriko Hirose of Japan at All England Super Series Premier. She was defeated in straight sets. The score was 21–11 and 22–20. This was her second early exit for the year soon after being defeated in Korean Premium Super Series in the month of January.

17th March, 2011

Saina faced Eriko Hirose again. This time, it was for the second round of the Wilson Badminton Swiss Open. However, this time the ace player managed to win in three games 21–15, 17–21 and 21–11. This victory was significant because it came on her birthday.

20th March, 2011

Saina Nehwal beat Ji Hyun Sung of South Korea by 21–13, 21–14. This made her win the prestigious title of Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold.

During the Indian Open Super Series in Delhi, Saina made an early exit. This time she disappointed the home crowd by facing defeat by Japan’s Ai Goto in straight games 21–17 and 21–19.

8th May, 2011

Saina Nehwal wavered after a good start. She lost to Wang Xin of China (then world number three) in the finals to finish the 2011 Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold runner-up tournament.

The BWF Double Star Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Event

Saina Nehwal participated in the event and won her first match against Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei. The game was a hard-hitting three setter 21–10, 12–21 21–17. However, India lost the tie 3–2. Saina was later shocked in her second match by Junior World Champion and 16 year old teenager Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand. She lost in straight sets 21–14, 22–20, but India managed to beat Thailand 3–2 in the tie to book a spot in the quarter-finals of the Elite mixed team event. This event occurred for the first time in the history of the tournament.

During the quarter-finals, Saina put forward her best foot against the mighty Chinese and performed well. She beat the then World number two Xin Wang in straight sets 21–15, 21–11. However, the Chinese still managed to move into the semi finals with a 3–1 win over India.

Thailand Open GP Gold

Saina lost to Li Xuerui of China in the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open GP Gold.

Singapore Open Super Series

Defending Champion Saina lost to Cheng Shao-chieh of Chinese Taipei in the second round of Singapore Open Super Series

26th June, 2011

Saina made a dedicated attempt to record a third straight win at the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier. She reached the finals and lost to Wang Yihan of China to finish as runner-up, on.

World Championship, 2011

Saina Nehwal crashed out of World Championship 2011 as she lost 15–21, 10–21 to World Number 3 Wang Xin of China in a lop-sided women’s singles match. The Indian badminton player reached the quarter-finals in the last two editions of the event, had to be contend with yet another last-eight finish.

China Masters Super Series

Saina Nehwal lost in quarter-finals against World No. 1 Wang Yihan of China in straight games 8–21, 12–21.

Japan Super Series

Saina Nehwal lost in semi-finals of 2011 Japan Super Series against Juliane Schenk of Germany. This was a straight game of 19–21, 10–21.

Denmark Super Series Premier

Saina Nehwal disappointed the home crowd by losing to 17 year old teen Tai Tzu-Ying of Taiwan in straight games 19–21, 13–21 in the second round.

French Super Series

Saina Nehwal repeated her shocking second round exit in the 2011 as she lost to World No. 16 Li Xuerui of China in straight games 18–21, 29–30.

Hong Kong Super Series

Saina Nehwal lost in the quarter-finals against World No. 7 Tine Baun of Denmark. This was a straight game of 16–21, 15–21.

China Open Super Series Premier

Saina Nehwal was defeated in the very first round of by World No. 8 Bae Youn-joo of South Korea 21–15, 22–24, 15–21.

The Season End

Towards, the end of the season, the unsurpassable badminton player created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the final of BWF Super Series Masters Finals. She reached this position after defeating World No. 5 Tine Baun of Denmark and cruising to 21–17, 21–18 in the semi-finals of the 2011 BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Liuzhou (China). Thereafter, she went on to lose the final 21–18, 13–21, 13–21 against the World No. 1 Chinese Wang Yihan. The contest was interesting and lasted for over an hour.

The 2012 London Olympics

This is one of the most significant years in Saina Nehwal’s life. The ace shuttler has set many records during this year. Stated below are some of the major Sports Career Record of Saina Nehwal in London Olympics 2012 is stated below:

The Start

The renowned Indian badminton player efficiently protected her Europe Start Headline via defeating the renowned Globe Number 2 ranked Wang Shixian of China country 21–19 and 21–16 score on important 18 Goal 2012 season. This was a significant day for Saina.

10th of July, 2012

The ace badminton player beat Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand. She also won the game by 19–21 score 21–15 score 21–10 score. This helped her win the Thailand prestigious Start Huge Corrt Silver title.

17th July, 2012

The renowned player Saina Nehwal won the Philippines Start Extremely Sequence by defeating world Number 3 ranked renowned Li Xuerui of China country 13–21 and 22–20 as well as 21–19. This game became one of the most popular games in Saina’s career. The game made her achieve third Philippines Start title.

4th August, 2012

This was an important date for Saina. It made her win the brown honor at the London, United Kingdom Olympic Games. China’s Xin, the famous gamer outdated from the go with after damage with the go with important 18–21 and 0–1.

The above-mentioned games are some of the most important Sports Career Record of Saina Nehwal. This made her an unbeatable badminton player the world.

Stage

Opponent

Result

Games

Points

Group Stage

Jaquet (SUr)

Won

2-0

21-9,

21-4

Group Stage

L Tan (BEL)

Won

2-0

21-4,

21-14

Pre-Quarter- finals

Yaojie (NED)

Won

2-0

21-14,

21-16

Quarter-finals

Tine Baun

(DEN)

Won

2-0

21–15,

22-20

Semi-finals

Wang Yihan

(CHN)

Lost

0-2

13-21,

13-21

BronZe Medal Match

Wang Xin

(CHN)

Won

0-1

18-21, 0-1

retired

Years of Achievements of Saina Nehwal

in Badminton at a Glance:

2003:

Saina won the gold medal at the Junior Open Badminton tournament, Czechoslovkia.

2004:

Won the silver medal at the event Youth Commonwealth Games Badminton team.

2005:

Nehwal won the gold medal in the Badminton tournament satellite in Asia.

2006:

•  Saina reached its first major international win Tour Title Badminton Senior Professional title by winning the

•   Philippines Open in 2006

•   Won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games

•   Winner of the Philippines Open Badminton tournament

•   Won the Asian Satellite Badminton tournament again

2007:

•   Saina won the gold medal at the Championships Indian National Badminton

•   Also won the gold medal at National Games of India

2008:

•   Achieved the feat of winning her first Grand Prix gold at China Open Taipei

•   Became the National Champion of India Badminton again

•   Won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth games

•  Won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships Badminton BWF. Clearly one of the most remarkable achievements in her career Saina Nehwal in badminton shows

•   The same year, Saina also earned the distinction of reaching the semi-finals of the Masters-Series Super Final

2009:

•   Won her first Badminton Super Series event, winning the gold medal in Indonesia Super Series

•   Reached the quarter-finals of the World Badminton Championships BWF

•   Saina won a tournament at home the importance of that year, winning the Grand Prix Open India

2010:

The year 2010 was the most successful year for Saina Nehwal in badminton terms of achievements. She won three back to back Super Series events this year.

•   Was a semi-finalist at the All-England Super Series, which is one of the badminton tournaments the most prestigious in the world

•   Won a bronze medal at Badminton Championships in Asia

•   Won the Grand Prix India Open Gold tournament

•   Winner at Singapore Super Series

•   Winner in Indonesia Super Series

•  Nehwal reached the quarter-finals of Championsips BWF World for the second consecutive year

•  Saina had a fantastic year filled with the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, in an intense match watched by thousands of Indian fans. Her gold held in India to reach the second position in the final medal tally, pushing England to the third position

•   Saina’s dream run in 2010 continued as she finished the year by winning the Hong Kong Super Series

2011:

•   Saina Nehwal won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold event

•   Finished runners-up at the Indonesia Open Super Series 2011 – the first badminton tournament

2012:

•   Saina Nehwal has successfully defended her Swiss Open title by defeating World No. 2 Wang Shixian 18th March 2012, a day after she turned 22

•   On June 10, 2012, Saina beat Thailand, Thailand to lift Open Grand Prix Gold title

•   On June 17, 2012, Saina Nehwal won the Indonesia Open Super Series, defeating World No. 3 China Li Xuerui

As Saina grew, her love and dedication for the game became stronger. With each year that passed by, Saina grew as a human being and as a badminton player too. Hope this incredibly talented player makes it big in the near future.

Saina Nehwal’s Daily Training

Schedule

It is no secret that Badminton is a very physically demanding game. It demands a great deal of strength and fitness to compete at the top international levels. In one of her interviews to ‘Times Wellness’, Saina Nehwal had talked about how she keeps fit. She had also shared some information about her rigorous training regimen and her diet for strength and endurance. The world champion and Olympic winner believe that physical fitness must be supported by mental strength and well-being.

Pullela Gopichand Nimmogodda Foundation Badminton Academy

Saina Nehwal’s daily fitness schedule when she is training for forthcoming tournaments:

•   Wake up - 6:00 a.m.

•   Breakfast - Her main meal

•   Rushes to Gopichand Academy (just 2 kms away from her house)

•   From 7-11 a.m. – Practices badminton skills

•   Reaches home and has lunch

•   Take a short nap

•   Return back to academy at 3:30 p.m.

•   On her way to the academy, she has a cup of tea

•   Practices for 3 hours till 7 p.m.

•   After practice – Has a glass of juice

•   Dinner

•   Relaxes by listening to Hindi film music or watching TV. She also likes to watch others play

•   Practice Yoga Nidra (a typical form of yoga meditation)

Physical Training

Saina has a personal gym at home. The gym is equipped with all the basic fitness equipment. She spends good amount of time on Yoga. She practices Yoga Nidra for relaxation morning and the evening.

Sponsorship and Endorsements

Saina Nehwal feels that it is difficult for a player to succeed without the support of sponsorships. In the year 2002, activities product Yonex provided to attract renowned Indian badminton star, Saina. The leading sports brand Yonex offered to sponsor Saina’s kit. Since, her positions enhanced, the sponsorships improved.

In the year of 2004, renowned BPCL (Bharat Oil Organization Limited) finalized the increasing celebrity. She is also one of the sportsmen reinforced by Olympic Silver Pursuit.

Saina is also sponsored by the Mittal Champions Trust, a foundation, the Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal started, to support promising young Indian players.

Brand value of Saina has moved up recently with her success. It has crossed 35-40 lakhs INR. Advertisement world believes that the brand value will reach to 1 crore soon. Saina has signed up a contract with IPL cricket team Deccan Chargers as their brand ambassador. It is said that over 12 multinational companies are waiting to sign the agreement with Saina .

The ace badminton player is associated with endorsements of the following brands:

Telecom Giant Airtel

The telecom giant Airtel Telecom signed on Saina Nehwal as a brand ambassador. At this point of time, Saina’s endorsement value reached the Rs 1 crore per deal mark.

Herbalife, a Health and Nutrition Company

Saina Nehwal endorsing

Herbalife products

Saina Nehwal as the

Ambassador of Top

Ramen Noodles

Saina Nehwal has been a sponsored sportsperson for Herbalife since 2009. Global nutrition company Herbalife renewed their brand endorsement partnership with the badminton champ in 2011.

Top Ramen Noodles, a division of Nissin Foods

Top Ramen re-launched its noodles range on 22nd April, 2011, with Badminton champion Saina Nehwal as the brand ambassador. Saina embodies the spirit of the new Top Ramen range, the noodles for champions.

Fortune Cooking Oil

Saina Nehwal with Pranav

Adnani, MD & Chairman of

Adani Wilmar Ltd.

Adani Wilmar, manufacturer and distributor of edible oils launched its new variant referred to as ‘Fortune Plus’, under the flagship brand Fortune in the year 2010. Fortune Plus was targeted at young and health-conscious Indians. The brand roped in ace badminton player, Saina Nehwal to endorse the product.

The Deccan Chronicle Newspaper

Saina Nehwal was signed for endorsing the leading newspaper. She was considered the best role model to endorse the newspaper.

Saina Nehwal is also known as ‘India’s golden girl’. This is because of the endorsement value she has gained in the past few years. She is also considered as the highest earning non-cricketing athlete.

The year 2012 was referred to as a standout year for this amazing badminton player. She won India’s first Olympic medal in badminton, the Indonesia Super Series, the Denmark Open, the Swiss Open and the Thailand Open, finishing the year ranked third in the world. Experts believe that Saina can play the role of a catalyst that propels badminton towards being India’s next commercial sport. They even feel that her consistent winnings can spearhead the Indian Badminton scenario and the sport can grow around her.

Saina’s blockbuster deal with sports management firm Rhiti Sports and other nine reputed endorsement deals cemented her place as one of India’s most marketable superstars. Undoubtedly, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is turning out to be a hot property in the celebrity endorsement market after a string of successes in the year 2010. Most notably the gold medal she secured in the concluded Commonwealth Games.

Telecom giant Airtel signed her on as a brand ambassador. This has shot Saina’s endorsement value to 1 crore INR per deal mark. According to H Manjula, Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures Media Coordinator, Saina is really in demand and many reputed companies wish to associate with her. The Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures handles Saina’s account.

As per a report by industry analysts, Saina charges around 50 lakh INR per endorsement. After the CWG win, the ace shuttler is now able to command 1 crore INR per deal. The higher rate is believed to be supported by Saina’s hat-trick of wins at the following events in the year 2010:

•    Indian Open

•    Singapore Open

•    Indonesia Open Super Series

Saina agrees that her popularity has enhanced her brand equity. According to the skilled badminton player, her fees have gone up after winning the titles. She is also very happy that there is demand being created for sportspersons other than cricketers.

According to her, the Airtel commercials will be shot after she returns from the Asian Games to be held in China from November 12. The deal with Airtel catapults Saina into the club of leading sports and Bollywood celebrities, including Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and A. R. Rahman, who are either associated with the brand or have been in the past.

Gujarat-based Adani Wilmar signed on Saina as its brand ambassador for a one-year period for about 50 lakh INR. The company is also planning to extend the association with her.

In the year 2006, Saina arrived on the global scene the moment she became the first Indian woman to win a 4-star tournament in the Philippines Open. In 2008, she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships and was also the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals in the Olympics.

The Sacrifice of Parents

What does it take to make a badminton star like Saina Nehwal? Well, most of her success was attributed by sacrifice and dedication of her parents; Dr Harvir Singh and Ms. Usha Nehwal. If Saina battles it out on the badminton court against the world’s best players, it has been no less a battle for her father and mother to let her do the same.

Rarely, a middle-class family can think of spending half of the monthly income on an eight-year-old child’s training without knowing if the gamble would pay off. However, Dr. Harvir Singh, a scientist with the Directorate of Oilseeds Research Hyderabad, opted to go by the advice of PSS Nani Prasad Rao, the then badminton coach of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), who saw immense potential in the girl.

Dr. Harvir Singh met Nani Prasad Rao in December, 1998, at Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad. Saina accompanied him with a badminton racket on the court. Dr. Singh insisted on admission of his daughter. Rao asked her to play. After watching her game, Rao felt that the girl has the potential. So, he asked Dr. Singh to bring her to him as a summer trainee.

This was the starting of a tough journey for Saina. Saina had to be taken to the stadium everyday early in the morning and the distance from the house was 20 km. It was a challenge for Dr. Singh and Saina. Both had to wake up early so that they could reach the stadium by 6 am. The training session used to last for about two hours.

After attending the training session, Saina had to attend school. Hence, Dr. Singh had to drive his scooter around 50 km daily. He wanted Saina to concentrate on studies apart from attending rigorous practice sessions.

The impact of this tough routine began to show in the first week as Saina would often fall asleep on the back seat. Sensing the danger, Saina’s mother started accompanying them on the two-wheeler. This continued for three months. Ultimately, the family had to arrange a house near the stadium in 1999. This time the distance was about 7 km from the stadium.

But the travelling ordeal did not end here as Saina was asked to attend evening training sessions as well. The extra training session raised the travelling expenditures 150 INR each day. Additionally, the parents had to spend on high quality shuttles, racket, shoes, guttings and a lot more regularly. Dr. Singh spent around 12,000 INR each month to keep his talented daughter going those days.

Was it easy to manage high-cost training?

Dr. Harvir Nehwal

talking to the media

Dr. Singh in an interview had revealed that he had to sacrifice his savings to encourage Saina pursue her passion.

“I started withdrawing money from my provident fund. Sometimes, it was 30,000 INR and other times it was nearly 1 lakh INR. It happened more than five times when I had to shell out money from my PF savings due to Saina’s various requirements,” mentioned Dr. Harvir Singh in an interview.

He stated that the tight-rope walk continued till 2002 until Yonex Sunrise sports offered to sponsor Saina’s kit. The journey became easier with this sponsorship. She also got BPCL support late in the year 2004. Ultimately, she was spotted by Mittal Sports Trust in December, 2005.

“But I had never disclosed to Saina my financial difficulties fearing that she might get disturbed knowing that her father was left with no savings for the future,” mentioned Dr. Harvir Singh.

So, did Saina get any help from the sports authorities?

According to Dr. Singh, till the year 2003, Saina got 600 INR per month from the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The amount was raised to 2,500 INR in June, 2003. However, the amount didn’t help much. It was still very tough to manage expenses.

Apart from the training cost, Dr. Singh had to manage hefty telephone bills that put extra financial burden on the family when Saina started touring foreign countries for events.

The media also added to this financial burden. Her phone kept ringing wherever she went.

Once, Dr. Harvir Singh confessed, “A major part of the prize money that Saina got from big competitions like the Philippines Open and World Junior Championship was utilised in paying her mobile bills, which were between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 in the touring months.”

Saina once admitted that she was too lazy to acquire a local SIM card in a foreign land and would keep calling home to chat with her parents. There would also be calls from the media.

Did the prize money help Saina in the initial stages of her career?

Saina with her father

Dr. Harvir Singh Nehwal

As per a statement made by Dr. Harvir Singh, Saina was given just Rs 300 as prize money after winning the under-10 state level competition. The competition was held in Tirupati in the year1999. He said that the period between 1999 and 2004 was very challenging for the family because they did not get any sponsorship.

Dr. Harvir Singh was not only concerned about the financial burden but also the risk of lagging behind on the educational front. This added to the mental pressure the family had to go through.

Saina had to skip examinations twice. She was unable to take her first year intermediate exams due to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Later, she could not write supplementary exams due to her presence in the Philippines.

Saina had achieved huge success much early in her life. Ironically, the family, despite her big success at the international level, has not been able to celebrate much.

Dr. Harvir Singh confessed that Saina had never been to any party, any restaurant or cinema for about 7 consecutive years in her life. Once, the electronic media personnel visited my home.

“I could not even offer them sweets. Do I need to explain why?” said Dr. Harvir Singh.

What’s the key to Saina’s success?

Saina Nehwal with her Family

She had a goal set in her mind and knew she had to achieve it anyhow. It is important to stick to one goal. Choosing two of them is dangerous. It is similar to chasing two rabbits. Both will escape. If you know the goal clearly, success will be yours. People with clear goals are usually successful as they know where they are going.

Saina’s rigorous training schedules were challenging for her parents too!

While Saina Nehwal was fast becoming a known name in India’s junior badminton circuit, the everyday routine of taking her for practice was quite strenuous for her parents. It was a about 25 km ride on the scooter from Rajendra Nagar to the stadium and Saina had to be there very early. This meant the child had to be up at four in the morning.

In March 2000, the family purchased a Maruti 800 car only for Saina. ‘Maruti’ is another name for Hanuman, the Monkey God, who is a symbol of strength and positive energy. Buying this car was synonymous for Saina’s steady success.

Even as Saina was steadily climbing up in the game, Harvir’s bank balance was diminishing. He rates the time between the years 1999 and 2004 as the toughest period of his life.

Dr. singh said, “I drew money from my provident fund some six times, mostly citing my wife’s illness as the reason. Everyone in the office, of course, knew what the real reason was. Sometimes, Rs 50,000, sometimes, Rs 1 lakh. Of course, all of that has thankfully now been put back by me.”

But young Saina had no clue about how everyday was an expensive affair. Dr. Singh made sure there was no discussion about financial matters at home. He didn’t want to surmount the pressure on little girl. He also made sure all of Saina’s needs were taken care of.

“She was too young to understand all this and I did not want to disturb her,” said Dr. Harvir.

Saina also admitted that she had no idea that he was borrowing from his provident fund in order to spend on the tournaments. According to this young champion, she was totally unaware of where exactly the money came from. She didn’t know her father took loans to send her to tournaments. Her mother used to travel with her and the family would spend somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 INR on a single championship. And Saina used to participate in at least ten of the tournaments in a year.

“My father had never asked me before any tournament if I really want to play it or skip it,” said Saina in one of her candid interviews.

But the struggle finally paid off. Today, Saina is ranked as the top badminton player across the globe. This is a rank many players aspire and yearn for after years of struggle and training. In the year 2010, Saina paid 60 lakhs INR in income-tax. In 2011, the amount raised to 1.5 crores INR! Her chartered accountant was paid 2.5 INR.

Today, that Saina is a top ranked player across the world, Dr Harvir Singh and Mrs. Usha Nehwal are proud of her.

Harvir once proudly said, “Those years were difficult years but today Saina has made sure there is no shortage of money. I wish every parent a daughter like Saina. If she had decided to study further she wouldn’t have earned like this.”

“I am Saina” says her father proudly each time he is interviewed for his daughter’s success.

When asked about the reason behind such a statement, Dr. Singh said, “Saina bought this shirt for me in Hong Kong. This Swiss watch is an 18 carat gold watch by Dubey & Schaldenbrand, worth 8,000 francs. These shoes are by Yonex. From my head to my feet all that I have belongs to Saina. If you ask me, I will say I am Saina.”

Saina with her mother

Mrs. Usha Nehwal

Dr. Singh’s almirah in his office room at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research is loaded with many souvenirs and other items bought by Saina on her different trips abroad. The proud father gets emotional each time he opens the almirah. According to Dr. Singh, the importance of the purchases was not more than their material value. For him, they were the symbols of Saina’s success. Each item represented a rung on the ladder she had climbed.

The almirah comprises of a Longines watch worth 2 lakhs INR, a brand that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan endorses. It also has a Sony Vaio laptop that she bought for 50,000 INR and a lot more. The struggle of parents in the early years has turned into gains.

Dr. Singh admits that badminton is a cheaper sport when compared to say cricket or tennis. However, for a player to excel, the parents should be prepared to keep aside adequate funds to take care of smaller needs.

Dr. Harvir and his wife realized the strong future of Badminton as a sport by 2001. Hence, they invested in expensive shuttlecocks despite their modest means. Usually, these shuttlecocks are used by players only at the tournaments.

“The AS2 or AS3 shuttlecocks used to cost Rs 55 a piece. There were other parents who said why spend so much on shuttlecocks, but then I did not want to leave anything to chance. I used to buy 10 cartons at a time with each carton containing 10 shuttles, which meant shelling out Rs 5,500. At best, the carton would last four weeks” confessed Dr. Singh.

Mrs. Usha Nehwal’s contribution was significant in Saina’s career. According to the world champion, “My mother made me think like a champion since I was eight or nine. She told me, back then itself, that I will be an Olympic medal-winner and the World No. 1. She showed me videos of top players in the world of that time. There is an instance I must mention here. I was playing in an Under-10 tournament in Thane. I was playing with one of the older players and I lost that match. My mother desperately wanted me to win it. I was coming out of the court and she just slapped me and reprimanded me for losing that match. All my colleagues started laughing and I told myself that I will show all these guys who they are laughing at. When I went to the room, I analysed why I lost the game.”

Being a Girl Child

She is one of the most sought after female sporting stars in India but when Saina Nehwal was born in patriarchal community, her own grandmother refused to look at her because of the inherent discrimination against the girl child in the state.

“I was really surprised when I was told that my grandmother did not come to see me till a month after my birth. I was born seven years after my only sister Chandranshu and my birth was a big disappointment for her,” the ace shuttler, fresh from a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, wrote in a column for the ‘India Today’ magazine.

“But in it there is a message that I understand very well now about the discrimination against the girl child,” she said.

Saina still counts her blessings for having parents who were liberal enough to allow her pursue sports.

Tarun felicitates Harvir Singh and

Usha Nehwal

during the Shakshsiyat Award

2013, held at Sri Ram Centre,

Mandi House, New Delhi, on

March 07, 2013

Experts in the field of sports strongly feel that families play an important role in a player’s successful career. Families need to make systematic investments in a youngster over years before a champion emerges. More than the player and the coach, parents are worthy of the credit for the success of a sportsperson.

Badminton Fitness

Fitness – The Key to Saina’s Success at Top Level

Badminton is the world’s fastest racket sport, and hence badminton players who wish to excel and compete at the top levels, need to have excellent agility, stamina, strength and fitness. The best badminton players across the world are also known for amazing fitness levels. They all have well-developed strong legs. The overall body structure, strength and fitness are almost identical to what hockey and football (soccer) players have. The basic features include sturdy muscular legs and high endurance.

Badminton players usually focus on fitness exercises. Some of the most common ones they go for include running, sprint running, hopping, jumping, skipping and some weight training exercises. These workout schedules tend to enhance their overall fitness.

Having sturdy legs is very important. It is a crucial part of a player’s physical fitness especially in the field of badminton. The game involves good amount of running, hopping and jumping. The ritual continues for the entire duration of a badminton match that typically lasts for about 60 minutes.

Recently, Saina’s success and her all – new glamorous look was the talk of entire nation. The media was interested in her fashion moves, the brands she endorsed and then prize money she won. These activities were written in bold, golden words. However, not much was actually reported about the kind of unflinching dedication and commitment that she has had towards her rigorous training schedule since childhood. After all, sacrificing candy floss, dolls, birthday parties and playing with other children is not a cakewalk for a child. But Saina never complained and she is where she deserves to be today – at the top! The entire world is singing praise and celebrating the success of this young, immensely skilled badminton player.

Dedication, consistency, rigorous practice and undying passion towards the game have made Saina Nehwal the kind of player that she is.

Aspiring badminton players who wish to reach the levels of Saina Nehwal, Prakash Padukone and the likes should focus on their footwork and skills. This is not all. One also requires being aware of body and its precise requirements. Eating a healthy fitness diet and regular work out at fitness centers such as a gym or a fitness club is a compulsion. It is also crucial to use the right fitness equipment under the guidance of a professional in order to improve fitness levels at consistent rate.

The requirements of a badminton player are different from players associated with other games such as cricket, hockey, etc. They don’t need to carry around a muscular body like that of a boxer or a 100m sprinter. The body should not be too heavy like weight-lifters. Being too light and wiry like the long distance runners is also not recommended. Badminton players need to be perfect.

In short, fitness requirements of badminton players are unique. They should emphasise on having the perfect combination of the following:

•    Strength of a sprinter

•    Stamina of a long-distance runner

The above listed qualities will help them play power smashes, run fast around the court and last for the entire duration of the match.

An aspiring player should keep these points in mind when choosing a fitness regimen. This is possible only when they work hard under the guidance of a highly skilled and experienced fitness coach. Badminton in itself is considered to be a fabulous way for working out and stay fit and healthy.

Badminton is known to be a fun sport. Children and adults enjoy playing this sport. However, it can be physically demanding too especially when it comes to playing at high levels of competition. The player should always be in great shape and sport an athletic body.

A variety of skills are required to excel in the field of badminton. This is possible with effective training.

Strength Training

Constant serving and volleying in a game of badminton may tire out your arms especially if they’re not used to the motion. Hence, it is beneficial to work with weights. You should focus on training with high repetitions. This is important to enhance muscular endurance. Some of the best exercises include military press and lateral raise. These workouts are very effective for strengthening your shoulders. Most fitness experts and physical trainers to badminton players recommend these exercises to ensure requisite stamina and endurance to play badminton.

Endurance

For players, who are serious about making it big in long matches and tournaments, endurance can go a long way. They should emphasise on building endurance. This will help them last for long matches. The best way to build endurance is to indulge in cardiovascular exercises. Running and biking can help a lot. If it is not possible to go on long rides and runs to build endurance, there are some other ways you can do it. Interval training is one of the most effective ways to build endurance. Most training experts recommend these exercises for badminton players. You can start with 1-to-2 ratio of work to rest and work towards a 1-to-1 ratio. The best example of this is sprinting to jogging.

Agility

When it comes to badminton, it is crucial to change directions very frequently and swiftly. In order to prepare for this, you need to get into some agility training. The four-cone-square drill is a simple setup for agility training. This helps in ensuring agility required for playing badminton. Players can start with the following steps:

1. One cone

2. Back pedalling to the cone behind it

3. Side stepping to the next cone

4. Sprinting forward to the next

5. Side-stepping back to the first cone

Varying the drill is important. It is helpful to vary it with different directions and cone formations. Regardless the drill, fitness experts recommend that each movement should last between 5 and 10 seconds.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Hands and eyes play an important role when playing badminton. Hence, it is crucial to improve hand-eye coordination. This can make a huge difference in a player’s performance. The best way to do this is by playing tennis or table tennis. The game requires player keep a close watch at the ball and using hands skilfully. Another technique a player can follow to increase hand-eye coordination is via throwing a ball off of a wall and catching it with one hand. Having a friend throw a birdie at you as you try to return it is also a fabulous technique. Badminton trainers and bodybuilders recommend another effective way to develop hand-eye coordination. This includes using a boxing speed bag to enhance coordination and power.

Fitness Routine

Maintaining a fitness routine can make a huge difference. A player should focus on having a fixed and dedicated fitness schedule. Saina is very serious about her weekly routine. It includes the following:

Saina Nehwal’s Endurance Training

•    Strength training sessions: 2-4

•    Endurance sessions: 3-6

•    Agility sessions: 6-8

•    Moderate running

The above listed techniques make for an integral part of Saina Nehwal’s endurance training.

Saina Nehwal’s Strength Training

•    Dumbbell pullovers

•    Rowing exercises

•    Military press for shoulders

•    Heel raises for calf muscles

•    Lat pull downs

Saina Nehwal’s Agility Training

Saina Nehwal follows a dedicated agility training schedule. It is a customised routine that includes speedy bursts of the following:

•    Running

•    Lunges

•    Ab crunches

Stepping into the Glamour World

– The Ace Badminton Player’s

Glamorous Side

Sports in India have come a long way. Be it cricket, badminton or tennis, the players can’t just stay away from glamour. Of late, a lot of cricket players in India were seen endorsing brands, giving guest appearance in Bollywood movies, and walking on the ramp sporting designer labels.

The trend was carried forward by tennis player Sania Mirza who created raves with her typical ‘nose ring’ appearance. College girls and teenagers aped this look and more than her performance, the ‘nose ring’ became the talk of nation.

The gorgeous Saina Nehwal couldn’t resist the glamour world for long. Although, dedicated to badminton, the glamour world just pulled her in.

“Performance counts but glamour is as important. People watch a sport also because they like a particular player. Especially in India, if a sportsperson looks good, he or she easily gets a lot of ads and media coverage,” said the ace shuttler in an interview.

Saina also mentioned that many sports stars don’t get recognized because they don’t look good. According to her, this is not good on the part of players who donate their sweat and blood to add to the country’s reputation.

“That is sad and should change. I don’t take care of myself, but I thank God that I’m blessed with good looks,” she stated.

Saina Nehwal at Hyderabad

Fashion Week

Pretty Saina Nehwal walked in style for renowned fashion designers on ramp. Her resplendent face reflected pure happiness and excitement as she graced the event with her looks.

Saina walked on ramp for the first time in the year 2010 for Hyderabad Fashion Week. She showcased a creation by designer Pallavi Jaipur. This event was her official entry into the glamour world.

Saina adorned a bridal lehenga and walked on the ramp. This was her first official entry to the glamour world. Many multinational companies have realized the brand value of Saina. It was equal to a cricket player if not more. Saina’s mantra was same on the ramp as in the badminton court. She sent a message to her fans through the advertisement world, “AN OLYMPICS MEDAL FOR COUNTRY”.

In another event, Saina Nehwal and men’s former world number 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, rubber shoulders with the masters of ramp on the eve of the Yonex Sunrise India Open Superseries.

The Glamour Quotient

Saina was super excited for the event and confessed that it was going to be a unique, experience for all players. She also said that walking the ramp may not be as easy for her and her companions as they are not professional models. According to Saina, she is a player and that’s what she excels in.

Saina Nehwal in her

Glamorous Avtar

In an interview, Saina said that it is a great feeling that badminton is booming and coming up in a good way.

Saina had a great time walking on the ramp. She was very excited about the event as she had never been really into the fashion world before.

“I have never done it. I hope it comes up well,” said Saina before the event.

Saina’s Favourite Badminton

Players

Saina Nehwal is an incredible player for sure. Her unwavering dedication and commitment to the game is proof enough. After winning a huge trail of prestigious titles and awards, the ace shuttler of India is a hot favourite across the globe.

The world admires Saina and keeps and stays attuned about her progress, new additions into her glory and various other activities she indulges in. But whom does this world badminton champion adore?

Here is a list of Saina’s favourite badminton players across the globe:

Wang Shixian

Saina is a huge fan of this female badminton player from China and former World No. 1 women’s singles player. According to Saina, she is determined to win each game she is in. She feels that it is extremely difficult to acquire the mental toughness Wang Shixian posseses.

Wang Yihan

Wang Yihan is a professional female badminton player from China and the reigning women’s singles world champion. Saina simply enjoys playing against her because she opens opportunities for challenging games for her.

Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone is a former badminton player from Karnataka, India. He won the All England Championship and became the first Indian to win it. Prakash was awarded the Padma Shri in 1982. He, along with Geet Sethi, the famous billiards player co-founded Olympic Gold Quest. It is a Foundation for the Promotion of Sports in India. Saina feels that this great player had brought laurels to the nation by becoming India’s first number 1 badminton player. She also feels that if Olympics had been a part of badminton when he played, he’d have made the country proud by bringing in an Olympic gold. Saina had once mentioned that badminton players owe Prakash Padukone a lot especially for taking the game into international level.

Pullela Gopichand

Pullela Gopichand is an Indian Badminton player who won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001 after defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals by 15-12, 15-6. The ace player also became the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone, who won it in 1980. Being Saina’s coach for many years now, the ace shuttler is completely in awe of him. She feels that Gopichand has brought a hint of freshness to the game. She sees him as an aggressive player who played really hard to get to the top. The injuries brought hindrance to his championships. According to Saina, but for his injuries, her coach would have reigned on top level for good amount of time.

Aparna Popat

Aparna Popat is an Indian badminton player. Saina believes that Popat is one of India’s best badminton players. She respects the player for her skills and as an individual. Aparna was solely interested in her game and inspired many young female players. She was a national championship winner for ten times where she won thrice over Saina in the years 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Taufik Hidayat

Taufik Hidayat is an Indonesian badminton player and a former World and Olympic champion in men’s singles. He has also won the Indonesian Open six times in the years 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. Saina feels that the player gad made audiences feel how easy the game can be with his skills. She also adds that the player is cute and adorable to watch on court.

Lee Chong Wei

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is a professional badminton player from Malaysia who was ranked first worldwide for 199 consecutive weeks from 21st August 2008 to 14th June 2012 as singles player. He is the only Malaysian shuttler to hold the ranking for more than two weeks. According to Saina, this talented player from Malasia is hard to ignore.

Tine Baun

Tine Baun is a female former badminton player from Denmark. She is known for her victory in the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships women’s singles title thrice in 2008, 2010, and 2013. Saina adores this player and her formidable presence on the court. Her smash shots are very popular. Saina has won against her at the Olympics.

Tracy Hallam

Hallam played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In women’s singles, she defeated Juliane Schenk of Germany and Camilla Martin of Denmark in the first two rounds. She won the title of women’s singles of badminton at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Saina loves this player and to watch her play.

Other Players Saina Adores

•    Lu Lan

•    Zhang Ning

•    Xie Xingfang

Saina’s Favourite Cities

Travelling is an integral part of Saina’s life. Being a badminton player, her career demands frequent national and international trips. The ace shuttler loves to travel. During the beginning of her career, she did not travel abroad much. It was after the Czech Open in the year 2003 that her abroad trips became frequent. Today, international travel is just a part of her work.

According to Saina, the road she travels most is the one that takes her to airport from home and back home from airport! She likes to watch movies, cartoons or play Angry Birds as a part of her in-flight entertainment sessions. Her iPad helps in killing time and keeps her engaged during frequent long trips.

Her First Trip Abroad

Saina’s first trip abroad was when she was just sixteen years old. Till then, she had travelled only with her team. But this trip was different as she was supposed o attend a training programme at Guangzhou in China. She went all alone this time. The trip was sponsored by Mittal Champions Trust. Since it was too expensive for her parents to join in, she decided to move ahead alone. Travelling alone to a foreign land was quite scary for Saina. She had to go through a long gruelling enquiry session with the migration authorities. But finally, she managed to travel back home all alone.

In the year 2008, she again travelled alone to Shanghai for the Master Super Series. She had to stay there for five days. She befriended with her roommate, a Canadian player, Anna Rice. The two got along really well.

The same year, she travelled to Denmark and Hong Kong. This time, it was easier for her to manage. She was an experienced traveller now! This was also the year of learning for her. The homesickness made her call up her parents many times during her stay which resulted in enormous phone bills. In fact, the bills amount to about a lakh of rupees! Then, she realized the importance of buying a local SIM card on foreign trips to save money on phone bills.

Saina travelled to many parts of Asia and Europe. Some of her most frequent visits were to countries like Malaysia, China. Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, England, Denmark, France and Germany.

Favourite Cities

Although, Saina’s tight badminton schedules have always kept her from opportunities to explore the places she visits, she has managed to rank the following cities as her top favourites for various reasons:

Hyderabad

This is the city where this world champion had spent most of her childhood. Her parents were complete strangers to the city. But soon they managed to explore the city for its goodness and opportunities it offered them. She is in awe of this city for its rich culture, history and many interesting places such as Golconda Fort, Charminar, Lumbini Park, Salarjung Museum and many more. Saina feels that the weather here is perfect for an athlete and this worked really well for her.

Kuala Lumpur

Saina plays regularly in Malaysia. Hence, she has developed affection with Kuala Lumpur. The people recognize her. Although, it was not possible for her to explore the city during her tournament visits since 2004, she managed to travel the city finally in the year 2010 when she visited with her father.

Singapore

Saina loves to shop. Her favourite shopping city is Singapore. She is in awe of the clean and spacious roads here. The place is known for its amazing malls and restaurants. Saina feels that the city is a must visit for any food and shopping lover. This is also the place Saina wants to visit for a relaxing break.

Paris

The magical city has caught Saina’s fancy. The Olympic stadiums here are amazing. During a visit to the city with her father, she had an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Eiffle Tower, Louvre Museum to catch a glimpse of Mona Lisa and a lot more.

Shanghai

This is one of Siana’s favourite Chinese cities. She loves it due to the fabulous network of roads and canals the city enjoys. With around four bridges sometimes, it is a complete visual treat for visitors.

Birmingham

The city has a special place in Saina’s heart as it is the venue for the All England Badminton Championships (the mother of all badminton tournaments). She is in awe of the wide roads and cold weather here.

Tokyo

One of the most beautiful cities as Saina likes to describe the city, the place is also known for its incredible road network. The city is technologically advanced and a marvellous place for gadget lovers.

Melbourne

This is the city Saina loves the most in the south. The city is beautiful, clean and well managed. The spacious stadiums are a plus point for any badminton player. Saina also love the people of the city and their hospitality.

Hong Kong

The city is known for its floating restaurants, Skyscapers, and the amazing Disneyland. Saina won the Hong Kong Open here in the year 2010. This was the time she celebrated her victory by visiting Disneyland with her father and teammates. She also paid a visit to the Shiromani Gurudwara with the Indian team the same year.

Dubai

Being a shopaholic, Saina adores this city. She also loves the Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest skyscraper here. Dubai is also known for its incredibly amazing man made attractions such as hotels on sea, the Gold Souk, and mesmerising aquariums.

Saina Nehwal’s Annual

Tournament Itinerary

Saina Nehwal has a specific schedule fixed for each month of the year just as any player of her calibre would. Here is how she plans a year and what is actually scheduled for her each month:

January

–

Saina plays the Korea Premium Super Series and Malaysia Super Series.

February

–

The world champion plays the Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup.

March

–

The month is fixed for the All England Badminton Championships and Swiss Gold Grand Prix.

June

–

Saina plays the Indonesia Super Series, Singapore Super Series and Thailand Gold Grand Prix during this month.

August

–

It is the month for Denmark Super series and France Super Series.

September

–

Saina plays the Super Series in Chinese Taipei and Japan.

October

–

She is in China to participate in the Chinese Super Series.

November

–

The month is booked for the Hong Kong Super Series and the Master Super Series.

The Sportspersons Saina

Admires

Saina Nehwal is a badminton champion. However, the girl has always shown interest in other sports and even has her favourites under each category. Here is a list of sportsperson Saina admires.

Steffi Graf

This is a special sports star for Saina because she was referred to as ‘Steffi Saina’ in her childhood years. Stefanie Maria “Steffi” Graf was born on 14th June, 1969, in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany. She is a former World No. 1 German tennis player. The skilled sports star has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court’s 24. Her 22 singles titles mark the record for most Grand Slam wins by a tennis player (male or female) since introduction of the Open Era in 1968. Graf became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Calendar Year Golden Slam in the year 1988 by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. She is the only player, male or female, to win 5 consecutive grand slams (1988 Australian Open to 1989 Australian Open) and 7 Grand Slams out of 8 in 2 calender years (1988 Australian Open to 1989 US Open, except 1989 French open). Saina Nehwal is a great fan of this former tennis star.

Roger Federer

Saina Nehwal is a great fan of Roger Federer. She watches the matches of the Swiss champion to learn from his mental make-up. The great Swiss professional tennis player was born on 8th August, 1981. Federer holds several men’s world records of the Open Era: holding the World No. 1 position for 302 weeks overall, winning 17 Grand Slam singles titles; reaching the finals of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times (an all-time record); and reaching the Wimbledon final eight times.

Ace Shuttler Saina Nehwal’s mother feels that most commentators and former and current players consider Federer the greatest tennis player of all time. He is one of seven men, and one of four in the Open Era, to capture the career Grand Slam, and one of three (with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal) to do so individually on clay, grass, and hard courts.

Saina Nehwal, watches every match of the Swiss champion to learn from his mental make-up. Her mother also ensures that she learns by watching Federer so that she could see how he approaches his match psychologically. Saina wants to meet Federer. She was excited about a chance in Beijing (2008 Olympics), but that went by.

Rafael Nadal

Critics like to call Saina Nehwal as the Rafael Nadal of India. Who is Rafael Nadal? Ask any tennis fan, and he will tell you the glory of Rafael Nadal. He has been a pillar of inner strength and determination especially when it comes to meeting the nearly – impossible goals. His journey to defeat Novak Djokovic after losing seven consecutive finals was definitely the epitome of his mental fortitude.

Saina is a true fan of this tennis star. She gets inspired by the never-say-die-attitude of Rafael. Born on 3rd June, 1986, Nadel is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former world No. 1. Currently, he is ranked No. 4 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is also regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His incredible success on clay has earned him the nickname ‘The King of Clay’.

The sports critics feel that India has its own Rafael Nadal in the form of Saina Nehwal and the day is not far when she will gain the same reputation as the international star.

Mary Kom

Mary Kom, known as Mangte Chungneijang by birth, was born on 1st March, 1983, is an Indian boxer belonging to Kom tribal community of north-eastern state of Manipur. She is a five-time World Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. Saina Nehwal adores this world champion for her courage and willpower that helped her being the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze medal. Ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women’s Ranking Flyweight category, this talented lady has definitely created a special place in the ace shuttler’s heart.

India’s London Olympic bronze medal winners badminton player Saina Nehwal, left, and boxer MC Mary Kom pose with their medals at an event celebrating their victory, in Bengaluru

Maria Sharapova

Saina adores Maria Yuryevna Sharapova so much so that she had a purchased a Mobile advertised by Maria sharapova on television. Born on April 19, 1987, Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player who is presently ranked as World No. 2 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She is also the top Russian player and the only one in the top 10. The United States resident since 1994 has won twenty-nine WTA singles titles, including four Grand Slam singles titles. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last held the ranking for the fifth time for four weeks from June 11, 2012 to July 8, 2012.

Saina feels that the way she has made a comeback after shoulder surgery is nothing short of amazing. Saina also had a shoulder problem and knows how difficult it gets. Saina aspires to meet Sharapova some day.

Sachin Tendulkar

Saina Nehwal is a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan and that she has accepted time and again. Born as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar on 24th April, 1973, Sachin is an Indian cricketer widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in One Day International. He is second only to Don Bradman in the all time greatest list in Test cricket.

Soon, after winning a bronze medal in the London Games, Saina Nehwal received a BMW car for her victory at the London Olympics from none other than batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. The felicitation function was organised by Vice President of Andhra Badminton Association Chamundeshwari Nath, who honoured the city girl by buying her the luxurious car.

Sachin Tendulkar felicitating

Saina’s victory at the

London Games by presenting a

BM Wcar

Saina was elated to hear God of Indian cricket showering praises on her. According to Sachin, the world is yet to see the best of the star shuttler. He also mentioned that Saina is a dedicated player who emphasises only on quality badminton. Sachin Tendulkar was proud of Saina’s and the country’s first-ever medal in badminton at Olympics after her Chinese opponent withdrew from the bronze medal play-off after injuring her knee.

According to Saina, Sachin is a calm and composed person on the field. She also feels that Sachin is a genius player to boot. His impeccable strength and control is what she admires a lot. One of her greatest moments with the player was when she watched him on TV scoring his 100th century. She was in Switzerland cheering for him, and it was a proud moment for the entire country when he reached that landmark.

Saina feels that it is simply amazing for a human being to have so many achievements to his credit and yet being so humble.

Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Singh Bindra, the successful Indian shooter and World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event was born 28th September, 1982, in Dehradun. Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games after winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It was also India’s first gold medal since 1980, when the Men’s Field Hockey Team won the gold.

Saina admires the spirit of Bindra and his dedication towards the sport. The Hyderabad-based player reveals that she couldn’t sleep the night after shooter Abhinav Bindra had struck gold for India in Beijing 2008. She said that many spectators rushed to give her the good news. The ace shuttler was happy for him but was simply disgusted with herself for having lost in the quarter-finals. That night, she just couldn’t sleep and continuously kept thinking of her game and how she could have played differently. Her respect and admiration for Bindra just doubled to see his undying spirit towards sports.

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj popularly known as Kapil Dev, was born on 6th January 1959, Chandigarh, Punjab, India. Dev is a former Indian cricketer who captained the Indian cricket team that won the historical 1983 Cricket World Cup. Wisden christened him as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. Kapil Dev was also India’s national cricket coach for 10 months between October 1999 and August 2000.

Saina Nehwal is a fan of this cricket legend. She feels that the cricketer has given a new dimension to the sport in India and high hopes to young aspirants.

Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981. She is an American professional tennis player currently ranked No. 1 in women’s singles tennis. The Women’s Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. In the year 2001, Williams became the World No. 1 for the first time and regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013. This made her the oldest World No. 1 player in WTA’s history. She is also renowned as being the only female player to have won over $40 million in prize money.

The sports field has always referred her to as the self-proclaimed, ‘Hardest working woman in tennis’. Williams is the only player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.

The sport star is also regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Saina Nehwal has been a keen watcher of most of her games and adores her for the commitment and hardwork she puts in every game.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh, the skilled Indian cricketer was born on 12th December, 1981. He is also the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. Yuvraj is a left-hand middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team in ODIs since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. Singh also vice-captained the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008. At the 2007 World Twenty20, he famously hit six sixes in an over against England’s Stuart Broad. This was a feat performed only thrice previously in a senior cricket match, and previously never in an international match between two Test cricket nations.

Saina Nehwal and Yuvraj Singh

Saina is a huge fan of Yuvraj Singh and feels that the sport star is an inspiration for everybody. She is truly inspired by the cricketer’s willpower and inner strength to fight cancer and to be on the verge of again playing for the country. She is stirred by the inspirational story of Yuvraj. The badminton star is in awe of the Singh’s fighting spirit. She is thankful to God for saving him. Saina is also thankful for being supportive in his tweets and words of encouragement and praise he pours in after her tournaments and championships.

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher, the retired German racing driver is someone Saina truly admires. Born on 3rd January, 1969, Schumacher is a seven-time Formula One World Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. The German racing driver holds many of Formula One’s driver records. These records including most of the wonderful events of his life such as the fastest laps, championships, pole positions, race victories, pole positions, points scored etc. Another record of Schumacher includes most races won in a single season (13) in the year 2004.

In the year 2002, Schumacher became the only driver in Formula One history to finish in the top three in every race of a season. Thereafter, he also broke the record for most consecutive podium finishes. The F1 driver is ‘Statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen’. This was stated in the official Formula One website.

Vishwanathan Anand

Vishwanathan Anand, the grand chess master was born on 11th December, 1969. This Indian chess Grandmaster and the current World Chess Champion is known for his sharp skills and forte to win the game at its hardest level. Anand has won the World Chess Championship five times; 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The grandmaster has been the undisputed World Champion since 2007. Anand had also won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion title in the year 2003. The steady victories of Anand have won him the recognition as the strongest rapid player of his generation. Anand is the lone Grandmaster to win world titles in three formats – he won the 128-player knockout format in Teheran in 2000, the tournament format in Mexico in 2007 and the traditional match-play format last month.

Saina is a fan of this unbeatable grandmaster.

Usain Bolt

Known as Usain St. Leo Bolt OJ CD, Jamaican sprinter was born on 21st August, 1986. He is a widely regarded as the fastest person ever. Bolt is also considered as the first man to hold both the 100 metres as well as 200 metres world records. He set the world record in the 4×100 metres relay. He is the first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and a five-time World champion.

Saina is all praises for this amazing sports star. She thinks that the way Bolt has silenced critics is simply marvellous. According to Nehwal, many had even written him off before the Olympics, but he retained all three gold medals. Saina love his atttude and the fact that he has no airs.

Michael Phelps

Originally known as Michael Fred Phelps II, this great American swimmer was born on June 30, 1985. Today, he is a retired sportsman and the most decorated Olympian of all time. The sport star has about 22 medals in his credit. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals.

Saina likes the spirit of this world renowned sport star. According to her, when he’s in the pool, it seems a fish is swimming! She also mentions that it is just incredible for someone to get 22 Olympic medals, with 18 of them being gold. Saina feels that she doubts if anybody can ever better Phelps. For her, such dedication is enviable.

Saina and Her Chinese

Opponents

Saina has always been serious about winning against the Chinese. She knows that they are referred to as the ‘invincible’. As per the sports statistics and records, China’s enviable pool of outstanding talent makes it almost impossible for anyone else to make a dent on their ruthless domination of badminton. Saina Nehwal had admitted this many times in her interviews.

Saina Nehwal with a Chinese

Player at London Olympics,

2012

However, the London Olympic bronze medallist has never been intimidated by the impeccable power of China. In fact, her extraordinary skills to win the game have been an aberration in the women’s rankings across the globe. She has also been the lone non-Chinese in the top five for a couple of years, offering sporadic challenges to the sport’s super-power nation.

Nehwal was ranked second, sandwiched between Li Xuerui and Wang Yihan, winners of the gold and silver in London. The girl is definitely in awe of China’s conveyor belt of talent. She feels that is not easy to break the Chinese wall. According to her, even if it is possible to beat one or two in one tournament, the others will be there in the next tournament. It’s not easy to beat them again and again.

So, why is it so difficult to win over the Chinese?

Saina playing to win against China

Saina does not believe in getting intimidated or overpowered by a specific race or their skills and strategies to win. She firmly believes in trying to win over each game against the Chinese. However, she also knows that it is extremely difficult to do so despite the kind of skills, willpower to win and enthusiasm to beat them all. She’ll definitely try and win over the girls but the system in India may not support the spirit. China has many players and it is not about winning over just one of them. One Saina along with 3-4 other skilled players cannot make it to the top in the field. The country has a huge pool of such players. According to Saina, it is similar to cricket (in India).

At present, Saina is happy with the scenario. She knows that girls from different countries are trying to beat them and be among the top players. The only thing she fears is lack of consistency.

Nehwal knows that the competition is really tough. Since, India has only a few players and a huge number of tournaments and championshions to win. This makes Indian players exhaust too soon. But the Chinese always have an upper hand because they have seven or eight players.

This is also the reason whether one wins or the other, finally China wins. Saina feels that it is not easy for other nations to do well at a consistent pace. Once, she has confessed in an interview that game-wise there is not much difference between the Indian and Chinese players. However, mentally they are ahead. The girl feels proud of the fact that she had an opportunity to defeat almost all of them.

So, how do the ‘powerful’ Chinese players feel playing against her?

Wang Yihan playing against

Saina Nehwal

Saina is happy to answer this question time and again. And the answer remains the same. Saina believes that the Chinese players are scared of her on court. The Indian badminton star takes immense pride in the fact that being the most popular badminton star across the nation; she has been successful in enjoying a certain level in badminton. Saina has become a potential threat to Chinese players. It is official that they all are scared of the Indian shuttler on court.

Saina Nehwal is the lone Indian to challenge the Chinese domination in badminton. Saina’s London Olympics bronze medal is a classic example for Indian girls who wish to carve a niche in the field of badminton. The victory has actually inspired about half a dozen more girls to join her at the top level and pose a potential threat to the traditional powerhouse.

Saina wants more players to come from India because she wants to make it like China where there are about 5-6 players dominating. She has confessed that sometimes the players from India are playing against 11 Chinese. They all have to apply single strategy but as a player, she has to come up with many to beat the players.

The 22-year-old earned India its first Olympic medal in badminton when she clinched the bronze at the Wembley Arena in London. However, it is her shocking quarter-final defeat in her maiden appearance at the mega-event in Beijing years ago that still infuriates Saina.

The happiness to win a bronze is certainly there but the proficient badminton player still remembers the Beijing episode as she could have easily reached the semi-finals in her first attempt but lost it. For Saina, losing in Beijing is extremely disheartening, especially when it was an easy match. The girl feels that she made it difficult and lost it.

China’s Xin Wang after getting

defeated by Saina Nehwal

Saina had lost in the quarter-final of the Beijing Games despite enjoying an 11-3 lead against Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti. But she made up for that when she was adjudged winner after a knee injury forced World Number Two Xin Wang of China to forfeit her bronze medal play-off match.

Saina after Winning Bronze

at London Olympics against

China’s Xin Wang

At 23, Saina has matured as a player and refuses to give up easily and fight for each point.

Nehwal feels that her major battle after winning the bronze medal will continue against the Chinese shuttlers. Her primary motto is to have an upper hand of over the girls of the nation. The badminton champion is serious about her mission and is making dedicated efforts to remain fit. This will help her overcome them in upcoming tournaments.

The Indian shuttler feels that the skill gap between her and the Chinese opponents is very close now. Presently, she is focussing on preparing strategies and putting in her best to tackle them on court.

The Chinese are Scared of Saina

This is what the talented player feels and is proud of it too! She had recently admitted that the Chinese were really confident of their skills and game strategies. No one really challenged the Chinese in badminton. But now they know there is Saina. The powerful Indian shuttler knows how the Chinese feel about her. She knows that the chinese players are scared of her on court.

The Final Victory

It is a positive sign that Saina is confident enough. This will improve her chances to win against any of the Chinese players. Since, Saina has defeated five or six of the Chinese by now, she has gained a lot of confidence with each victory in her credit.

The spirited Nehwal showed her brilliance on court in all matches at Wembley Arena and proved that she has attained a highest level when it comes to technical and tactical play of the game.

The spirited Nehwal had also been working extremely hard under the supervision of Pullela Gopichand, who is the former All England Champion and current national coach of India.

The girl proved her mettle at the Indonesia Open Premier Super Series 2012 in Jakarta when she outplayed China’s Li Xuerui, the player who has recently won the gold medal at Olympic Games. This gesture clearly indicates filling of gap between the skills of both countries.

Nehwal is determined to put up good show in all of the upcoming events as she has got a greater level of confidence after winning a medal at London Olympics.

Saina’s Non Badminton Interests

Like most of us, Saina has many interests other than badminton. Here is a glimpse of what catches her fancy when she is not playing.

Reading

Saina likes to spend time reading. Since, she does not get much time to indulge in long hour reading sessions, she buys something that catches her fancy. Her quick read indulgences include Indian film magazines such as Filmfare and Stardust. She also loves to read comics. Tom and Jerry series is her all time favourites. Saina also pick up books and journals on sports that keeps her updated with recent happenings in the industry. She also loves to read self-help and yoga books.

Since, Saina is a frequent traveller, she keeps stock of some newspapers on sports and other books of her interests. She also likes to play Sudoku in the newspaper.

Sketching

Saina loved sketching since she was a child. This talented badminton player once represented her school at the national level in a drawing competition. Even today, she likes to pick up a sketch book and draw whatever comes to her mind. This is one of the ways she likes to kill time.

Music

Saina is a huge fan of Bollywood music. This is something that keeps her engaged and entertained all the while.

Gadgets

Saina cannot live without her cell phones. In fact, she has a fetish for collecting these amazing gadgets. Her favourite phone is the Apple iPhone which she uses the most. She also carries a Sony Handycam whenever she is travelling. She prefers it because her sports analyst uses it to record her games. Other favourite gadgets she has around her is a laptop (the MacBook Air) which she uses to watch reruns of her performances. And last but not the least, the iPad is her most favourite gadgets which is loaded with wonderful features including Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Sumo Wrestling, Talking Tom, and Tennis.

Movies

Saina Nehwal is a huge fan of Bollywood films. She tries her best to catch up with the latest releases as soon as she can. Her favourite movie is the Shahrukh Khan-Kajol starrer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. She was just 5 years old when the movie was released and the magic the movie managed to create among the audience was marvellous. She has seen this movie over a hundred times. Hum Apke Hain Kaun is also a memorable movie as she watched it with her entire family.

Saina Nehwal and Spirituality

The secret to Saina’s victory is definitely her dedication and never-say-die spirit. So is there something up above that keeps her going constantly? What’s her connection with the Supreme Power? Does Saina believe in spirituality?

Well, the term ‘spirituality’ is a huge word for Saina. She doesn’t know what it actually means. Hence, it is not possible for this sport star to tell whether or not she is spiritual.

Does she believe in the fact that the world is ruled by a Supereme Power? Does she believe in God?

Of course, Saina is a firm believer in God. Although, she is not much into practicing any rituals (she doesn’t have a fixed schedule), she believes that there’s someone up there to look forward to, to thank for all the favors, and turn to when things go wrong.

Nehwal doesn’t really make any special effort to visit places of worship or try to spend personal time with God through mediation or chanting mantras. She also refrains from wearing lucky charms to get somewhere.

Saina Nehwal with her mother offering

prayers to

Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala

So, how does this young badminton champion keep calm and regain strength in the times of adversity? After all, she is a sport star and all she does is highlighted in the media, people talk about her and each action of hers become the national news. How does she cope with the pressure, expectations, criticism, failure and the stress?

Saina tries to win through her adversities via exercising. She works out to burn off her anxieties and worries. According to Saina, hard work and devotion to one’s profession are the greatest virtues. This is the philosophy she lives by.

Nehwal admits that her parents are not religious or ritualistic. This is also the reason she is not much into traditional rituals and spiritual acts when it comes to getting connected with the Almighty.

So, how can one get connected to God without chanting mantras and doing regular pujas?

Saina Nehwal knows the answer. She is very clear about it. According to her, not bearing any ill-will against anyone is the biggest virtue in life. This is what her parents taught her. Saina follows this religiously.

Saina is proud of the fact that both her parents have been state-level badminton champions. Her entire family has lived the sport. Nehwal cannot imagine a middle-class family spending half their monthly income on their eight-year-old daughter’s training. And that too, without being sure if the gamble would pay off. But Saina’s parents did this.

The Almighty helped! She belives that God gave them the strong will to do it all.

Saina remember her parent’s struggle to make her reach to the top that started early when she was just eight years old. She had to wake early and head to the stadium which was 20 km away. After two hours of practice, her father would drop her to school on his way to work.

Many a times, she would often fall asleep on these journeys, which prompted her mother to accompany them for the next three months. The major chunk of these 18 years of her life has gone into practising and playing. She feels exercising is the simplest way to end all worries and set her mind at rest. It also helps her unwind and refreshes her spirits enough for the following day.

The young badminton champion admits that many a time, it looks like whatever she has achieved, all at the age of 18, has been the fruit of God’s love for her. The girl also feels that she is God’s chosen one. She always focuses on setting goals and this is what she feels she should be doing in order to keep winning games.

This girl feels that she has ironed out a number of physical flaws in the past and this is time to work on her mental make-up, especially when it comes to the international circuit. She feels that even after gaining huge leads, she is sometimes unable to hang on to them and finish the job.

Saina is thankful to the Almighty for whatever he has showered on her. The badminton champion is proud of the fact that she is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarter-finals at the Olympics. However, she is not satisfied with this rank. Her focus at oresent is to win the much coveted Olympic gold. She feels that her dedication to sports and the hard work she puts in makes her worthy of Olympic Gold and she will definitely win it one day.

Her Visit to Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple

Saina’s visit to the Lord Venkateswara

Swamy Temple with her parents

The young and immensely talented badminton player was finally seen and captured by the media offering special prayers at Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Tirupati on Sep 16, 2012.

The badminton player arrived at the holy site of the Lord Balaji during VIP break period. After darshan, she was presented Srivari prasadams and sacred silk cloth by TTD officials at Ranganayakula Mandapam inside the temple complex.

Saina had a word with the reporters confirming her never ending love for badminton and that she would continue to play badminton no matter what. The player also offered prayers at Vayulingeswara Temple and participated in Rahu-Ketu puja at Srikalahasti Temple, about 40 km from Tirupati.

Nehwal also mentioned that her victory at the London Olympics could not have been possible without the blessings of Lord Venkateswara. Her visit to the site is a gesture to offer her thanks giving obeisance to the Lord.

Famous Quotes by Saina Nehwal

and Eminent Badminton Players

1. “I am working hard and performances are coming. Now, that I am number 2, I will definitely reach number 1.”

– Saina Nehwal

2. “And I thought this time: ‘no more leading and losing – just win the game – that’s it’.”

– Saina Nehwal

3. “A champion has to be disciplined by practicing regularly in the right manner, respect coaches and most importantly ought to have self-belief.”

– Saina Nehwal

4. “Badminton is like ballet dancing. It requires a lot of control, strength, mind play and measured movement.”

– Film star Aamir Khan

(also, a good badminton player)

5. “Badminton is a great way to de-stress and chill out after a hard day’s work.”

– Film star Aamir Khan

(also, a good badminton player)

6. “When I am playing badminton there are only two people in the world, myself and my opponent.”

– Erland Kops, former badminton

champion from Denmark

7. “I was mesmerized. Until then my game was mostly defensive but after I saw him play, I became more of an attacking player.”

– Prakash Padukone talking about Indonesian

badminton legend Rudy Hartono

8. “I would say that it is the explosiveness that I possess in my game. Like a crouching tiger waiting to pounce on it preys.”

– World No.1 Lee Chong Wei

9. “I played my 100 percent today. This is the biggest team competition in the world. I’m determined to do my best to defend the Cup.”

– Zhang Ning

10. “I think it’s a match at top level, and both of us have displayed our quality.”

– Xie Xingfang

11. “I’m confident to win, I always have the confidence whenever I go into a tournament.”

– Zhang Ning

12. “One of the most important qualities required for success at the Olympics is the unflinching confidence in one’s own ability. Only those who are mentally very strong emerge victorious.”

– Prakash Padukone

13. “Indian players have done well in the last couple of years but they need to be more consistent with the results. They need to stabilise more. They are young and will take sometime to adjust to the top level.”

– Pullela Gopichand

14. “I’ve always trained hard – perhaps too hard, too – but it’s been worth it. Badminton has given me incredibly much. I have put it this way: Badminton is life and life is badminton.”

– Peter Rasmussen, a Danish badminton player

15. “In badminton, they use a lot from the wrist. But I use a lot from the shoulder.”

– Li Na, Chinese professional tennis player

16. “When badminton was accepted into the Barcelona Olympic Games it showed that there was an acceptance of my sport internationally.”

– Rhonda Cator, retired female badminton player from Australia

17. “I hope the BWF (Badminton World Federation) will seriously do something about the Olympic qualifying format or risk getting badminton dropped from the Games.”

– Taufik Hidayat, Indonesian badminton player

18. “Coming in as a veteran, I’d like to finish with a gold medal.”

– Howard Bach, Vietnamese – American

male badminton player

19. “The art of badminton is to deceive.”

– Sir George Thomas, Quoted in

The Guinness Book of Badminton (1983)

20. “I’ve always been real excited for them to be in badminton. I’m hoping that they can play this game and develop skills like we used to have when we were younger. I feel that they have a good shot at getting into and winning the junior championships and maybe someday even representing the U.S. in the Olympic Games.”

– Gary Grant, retired American

professional basketball player

21. “Badminton is a fast game and the review system is not going to be easy. We would need to see if it works out or not. Some decisions go in favour of us, some don’t, and I hope the review system helps us.”

– Saina Nehwal

22. “The popularity of badminton is surging and it’s important for any sport to attract the youth and masses.”

– Saina Nehwal

23. “It’s great for the sport, Badminton is all about the hype, pressure and atmosphere, if you can’t perform in that situation then Badminton is not for you as a competitor, so the more the merrier.”

– Jonathan Paget, badminton player from New Zealand

24. “We’ve gotten off to a slow start, but it’s been good. We have learned to improvise, like with the badminton net.”

– Amy Lambert

25. “In Japan, for example, 10 million people play badminton. Annually, one might need 12 shuttles per person.”

– Herman Moens

26. “We are thrilled to have Wilson participate in this prestigious event. The Boston Open is recognized in badminton for its top player draw and high quality competition, and represents a great opportunity for Wilson to expand its reach in the sport.”

– Arthur Schwartz

27. “The PBSI (Indonesian Badminton Association) have to work harder to widen the pool and find quality players. The present indifferent culture has to change.”

– Taufik Hidayat

28. “The Chinese players are really very good. They are top players, but it is not that they are invincible. The players who perform well on a given day win the matches.”

– Shuttler P. V. Sindhu

Saina and Her Lucky Courts

As a dedicated badminton player, Siana Nehwal loves the courts she plays in. Each court has etched memories in her heart. But is there a court that is close to Saina’s heart? Is she biased towards a specific court and considers it a lucky mascot for her? Well, like any player, Saina has her favourites too.

Saina Nehwal at

Indonesian Courther

The hardcore badminton player feels that the Indonesian courts are lucky for her. She is in love with Indonesia. Many a times, she has agreed that it is very tough to beat the Chinese. Regardless of whether it is the London Olympics or any other major championshop, Saina feels that beating Chinese players can be nerve breaking and she needs a lot more than dedication to the sport to do that.

After defeating the Chinese World No. 4 Shixian Wang in the quarter-finals and her World No. 3 compatriot Li Xuerui to win the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier in the year 2010, Saina admitted that the Indonesian courts have been really lucky for her even when it comes to beating the invincible Chinese players.

Her prepaprations are always tough and after wining a game, Saina’s major focus is always on how to win the forthcoming championships. She doesn’t have the time to rejoice her victory.

Even after returning home from Jakarta to a warm welcome from her family, friends and well-wishers couldn’t let her rest. She knew it would be really tough for her at the London Games. Also, her major emphasis is always on being super fit for each game and stay injury free before the Olympics. The champion believes that it is crucial to be mentally in good shape for each game that she plays.

Saina Nehwal is congratulated by

her coach Atik Jauhari after winning

the women’s finals of the Djarum

Indonesia Open Super Series 2010

badminton tournament in Jakarta

on June 27, 2010.

Talking about her love for Indonesia, Saina Nehwal has always admitted that she feels like a champion the moment she enter Indonesian courts. The player is not actually aware of the reason behind her confidence for Indonesian courts. However, she knows that atmosphere there is nice. The fact that right from the first day there are about 7,000 spectators cheering for her even if I am playing Indonesian player enthrals her. Their support means a lot for her as a devoted player.

The crowd support is amazing and atmosphere is fervent in Indonesia. The player admits that she really enjoys at the Indonesian courts. Jakarta is her favourite place as she had won many tournaments there. No wonder, she feels that the courts are lucky for her.

The courts at Indonesia are capable of developing a feeling of positivity around her. She feels enthusiastic about each game played and the support of people there makes her feel special.

Future Plans of Saina Nehwal

Everyone has future plans. Being a sports star doesn’t make a difference. Saina Nehwal hopes to climb higher in the rankings. Saina Nehwal approaches life and sport in a very business-like fashion. She walks really fast and talks to the point and trains like a maniac. Now, when asked about life outside the sport, Saina doesn’t have any. In fact, she has to think and re-think about the question to find out an answer and finally, the answer is that she has none. She just looks forward to new kinds of training and its variations.

None of her tournaments and championships are celebrated in a grand way. In fact, soon after winning the bronze at the London Olympics, Saina allowed herself the rarest of rare luxuries in her life – she took a break. Siana relished laddoos and parathas. The Olympic winner also functions to celebrate her medal. She also celebrated the way she never had before.

So, how did the celebrations go? Well, the badminton star attended many functions celebrated her victory primarily her country’s victory. Since, it was her first ever badminton medal for the nation country, her motive was to enjoy it with them. Saina in one of her exclusive interviews after winning the French Open quarter-finals said that she realises without the support of her family, coaches and fans, things wouldn’t have been possible.

“Without them egging me on I wouldn’t have been so successful,” said ace badminton champion.

After winning the Denmark Open, (the first tournament after the break), Saina showed that being away from the sport for sometime allowed her to recharge her batteries. According to Saina, it is very important to take a break.

Since, the game has increased its pace, players face a tough time. Their body demands rest especially legs. Saina admits that out schedules are tough and the stars require playing around 16-17 tournaments in a year. One, also needs to take out time for training. This is important to merge back strongly in the upcoming tournament. The players get really tired after the tournament and their legs and hands get taped. This is not easy.

For Saina, the French Open has not been an easy ride. After beating out her 17-year-old Thai opponent Ratchanok Intanon 22-20, 22-20 in two tough games, she managed to pull out matches. It was quite tough for her. But the matches are like that. She needs to be mentally tough. This is what makes her a true Indian star.

But what are the future plans for Saina Nehwal?

Saina has nothing in mind at present except to win. She wants to give her best to everything. Her main aim is to win. Each player is interested in winning. However, it all boils down to mental strength. Saina has won big matches with almost all top players.

Saina believes that rankings usually don’t mean a lot to top players. The only benefit a player gets via winning a ranking is a positive affirmation. After winning the world number three title and then slipping down to number four didn’t dampen this badminton star’s spirits. She soon managed to gain her third rank which was a huge relief for her fans and admirers. But maintaining a specific rank and going higher is tougher but Saina focuses on performing well and climbing higher in the rankings now. Also, each time a rank goes higher and a medal is added to the glory of a badminton player, the expectation becomes higher. The players are under constant pressure. But then, it is definitely a part of the stardom and victory. Training harder and keep winning is definitely a part of Siana’s future plans.

Playing under pressure is a part of every sports star’s life. More successful a player is, greater the expectations and pressure. But Saina cannot take pressure. She believes that playing under pressure is not her style. She likes to think that she plays well and win tournaments. Pressure is definitely there but she does not allow it overpower her life. She has own way to deal with pressure and does not let it affect her game or mindset.

One of her future plans is definitely to keep winning over the Chinese girls. Saina truly believes that she is one of the girls trying to beat the Chinese.

The badminton star agrees that it is a difficult game for everyone except China. Hence, it is her aim to try the best she can and try to beat them all.

Winning is the biggest motivating factor which keeps me going, says 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal.

The Autobiography – Was it a Future Plan?

Saina recently get released her autobiography. This wasn’t a part of her future plan. It just happened. According to Saina, it is something that made her feel special. Since, most people think of penning an autobiography at the prime age of their life, she got this privilege at the tender age of 22.

According to her, this is something no one expects at least at her age. She feels that her attempt would inspire many youngsters take up sports and dream big like her.

Siana’s life is completely based on her love and passion for badminton. This is definitely the reason she constantly dreamt of winning titles. With each title, Saina sets new goals and kept working hard.

Saina’s Future Game Plan

Since, Saina is a hardcore badminton player, her complete concentration is on the future games and tournaments. She is presently focussing on the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. This will definitely depend on how things shape up over the next three years. Her current focus is to stay injury-free and build adequate strength and achieve her new goal – win an Olympic gold. It is the most cherished dream of champion shuttler. She wishes to fulfil it at all costs.

Setting up an Academy

Saina is also planning to set up an Academy in Bengaluru. Since Gopi Academy which she feels is the best in the world is already in Hyderabad, the city she lives in, Bengaluru was the second choice.

Saina attributed 30 percent of her success to talent and the rest for her hard work and discipline which meant sacrificing what many normal girls of her age will enjoy otherwise. This is also the reason she strongly feels many girls can take up sports and turn into real champions like herself and Sania Mirza. She feels that she and Mirza had made country proud and helped people realize the significance of women power and their contribution to the glory of country.

The world champion shuttler confirmed recently that the plans to establish an academy is under discussion with real estate firm Commune India and sports company Target Games Facilities. She is eagerly looking forward to their support and she hope to do something good for badminton in Bengaluru. The ace shuttler feels that people in Bengaluru are interested in the game.

The city, according to Saina is a very good place for badminton. Just as the Prakash Padukone Academy is guiding aspirants into action, she also hopes to support game in a big way in Bengaluru and hope youngsters get more motivated and do well. Saina feels if she can do it, each girl of the can do it too, if she really aspires to.

According to Saina, the two most significant milestones in her career were winning the Olympic bronze medal and the Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi. The excitement of standing on the medal podium is unsurpassable. That is also the reason why she keeps enjoying playing all day. Whether she is indoors or outdoors, her main aim is to practise the game thoroughly and not leave any stone unturned in winning matches.

Yudhvir Award for Saina Nehwal

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal was recently conferred with the 22nd Yudhvir Memorial Foundation Award for her outstanding performance in the field of sports. The award was instituted in the memory of freedom fighter, journalist and founder of the daily Hindi Milap, Yudhvir in the year 1991. It was constituted to commemorate the lifetime work of late Yudhvir. The award was presented to Saina by Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, at a function.

The annual award consists of a citation and a cash prize of 50,000 INR. Saina mentioned that it was a great honour for her to receive the award. She also revealed that the award will give her strength and encouragement to excel in her game in future. This award will help her put in more hard work and efforts to bring laurels to the country.

Her aim is to play more, win more and get more medals for her country. She also believes that the love of her fans and their prayers are helping her to win medals. Saina knows that she cannot let her fans down.

Saina plans to do well in near future and continue to make her fans proud.

Marriage Plans

The ace shuttle is 23 now. Her fans and family are waiting for the good news. Apart from the Olympic Gold and tournaments, the entire nation wants to know if it is time for their badminton icon to tie the knot.

Saina Nehwal is always accompanied by her mother, Usha Nehwal, be it for her matches, tours or even promotional events. Now, that the girl has carved a niche for herself, there is something more the mother is looking forward to.

Mrs. Usha Nehwal has two things in her mind; her daughter’s Olympic win and her marriage. The girl is playing really well and an Olympic gold medal seems to be very close. The doting mother also wants her daughter to get married. She feels that it is the right time for the talented girl to get settled in her life.

But Saina is not thrilled by her mother’s new hopes. In fact, she is not ready for marriage at the moment. The moment her family talks about marriage, she would revolt.

Now that marriage is on the mind of Saina’s entire family, who knows the fans will soon see her in a new avatar!

Things you might not know about

Saina Nehwal

- A pure vegetarian, Saina Nehwal was asked to eat fish and crab by coach P.Gopichand after they failed to find vegetarian food in China.

- Saina’s mother took Saina to her badminton matches when she was less than a year old. Saina Nehwal used to laugh aloud alarmingly when she saw the badminton matches played by her mother.

- When she was a teenager, Saina Nehwal’s training was costing her family Rs. 12,000 per month. She now charges upto a crore for commercial endorsements.

- Saina Nehwal was offered a job by Bharat Petroleum when she was just 14 years old. Saina Nehwal’s parents were state Badminton champions in Haryana.

- Saina Nehwal has been nicknamed ‘Steffi Saina’.

- Saina Nehwal is extremely fond of chocolates.

- In her teens, Saina Nehwal used to travel 25 km for training, dozing off to sleep while riding pillion on her father’s scooter.

- Saina Nehwal has a brown belt in Karate.

- Saina Nehwal’s father Dr. Harvir Singh is a scientist at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad.

- Saina’s mother thinks that her smile is very cuite exactly like the Sahid Kapooor’s.

- She is one of highest paid non cricketing sportsperson.

- Saina Nehwal cried when she lost the quarter-final match in Beijing Olympics. Gopichand couldn’t make her feel better by lightening her mood. So, just to shock her out of it, Gopichand told her we will start practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow. She shocked Gopichand instead by saying that “Lets start it at 7 a.m. sir.”

- Saina Nehwal is the only feared player by the Chinese women badminton players who rule the roost in badminton.

- Saina Nehwal trains for almost 10 hours everyday and doesn’t have any social life.

- Saina Nehwal won the under-10 state level badminton championship. Prize money – a meagre Rs. 300.

- Saina Nehwal is an ardent fan of Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer and love their determination and dedication.

- Saina Nehwal is often compared to Sania Mirza, the tennis sensation. But Saina Nehwal doesn’t like the comparison at all; she believes Sania Mirza is a better doubles player while she is a singles player. Moreover, Saina Nehwal has won the World Super Series thrice which is similar to the Tennis Grand Slams while Sania Mirza has never won any single’s grand slam.

- Saina Nehwal joined the Gopichand Badminton Academy at the age of 13. Pullela Gopichand found talent in her and has been coaching her and mentoring her since then. Saina gives all the credit to her success to Pullela Gopichand.

- Saina Nehwal’s current coach is Atik Jauhari from Indonesia.

- Saina Nehwal is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 60 kg.

- Saina’s mother and father were former Badminton champions in Haryana.

- Saina had missed her intermediate exams twice. Once, while she was participating in Melbourne Olympics and then when she was in Philippines.

- She holds the Under-19 women’s single title. She has won twice the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament (India Chapter). Nobody did it in the past in India in the women’s category.

- Saina was signed on by the ‘Champions Trust’ of Lakshmi Mittal, the London-based steel baron who wanted to help her become an international champion.

- Saina won the Indian National Championships in January, 2007, at Patna.

- Saina has defeated world number five and fourth seed Chen Wang of Hong Kong in a three set thriller 21-19, 11-21 and 21-11. Saina overcame her higher seed opponent Chen Wan. Saina has entered the quarters of the women’s singles event at the Beijing Olympics.

- Saina Nehwal has been voted as winner of the Indian of the Year in the sports category.

- The Beijing Olympics saw her arrive with a bang and the top players started to get wary of her presence in their half of the draw.

- The 19-year-old won the top spot for being the first Indian woman to win the Badminton Super Series.

- Saina’s impeccable potential was finally justified on June 22, 2009, when she beat World No. 3 Lin Wang to win the Indonesian Super Series, putting her at par with two other legends of Indian badminton –Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand.

- A ‘never say die’ attitude has helped this ace player to stay ahead of her competition. Even chicken pox failed to stop Saina from performing.

- Saina Nehwal’s favourite snack is aloo parantha prepared by her mother.

- The ace shuttler can’t resist full-milk tea made by her mother.

- Her favourite movie is Chak de India, favourite movie star is Shah Rukh Khan.

- Roger Federer and P. Gopichand are her favourite sportsperson.

- Saina’s favourite holiday destination is Singapore.

- She likes tennis other than badminton.

- Saina loves to shop, eat ice-cream (post wins only) and play games on her iPad.

- Saina has been referred to as the future of Indian sports.

- Saina even beat her male opponents during practices.

- During Phillipines Open and Melbourne Commonwealth Games, her phones kept ringing which resulted in the phone Bill of 40,000 INR!

Saina’s Best Friend – Dedication

The top ranked badminton player Saina Nehwal and winner of many Super Series tournaments in succession consider ‘dedication’ as her best friend. She is clear about the fact that all of her victories and trophies have been possible due to her dedication to the sport. It was her unwavering faith and dedication to the game that made her win gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Saina’s mentor and coach Pullela Gopichand is with her since 2004. She first met him at his academy, the Gopichand Badminton Academy at the age of 13. According to Saina, he helped her improve badminton skills via improving strokes, speed and mental fitness. Within a year of joining the academy, she started playing international tournaments. Saina believes in staying focused and not getting carried away by the success, laurels and praises showered after winning tournaments. According to her, she must have been a Spartan warrior in previous birth. She is sure about it because Spartans were taught to fight till they died, right from the time they were born. In 480 B.C. a 1,000-strong army of Greeks led by 300 Spartans defended the pass of Thermopylae against a Persian Army that was at least ten times that size.

Nehwal feels that she would have fit right in with the best of them. Her dedication to her the sport is unrelenting. She started training at the age of eight and has been at it for the past 14 years. Her major goal is to win an Olympic gold.

Nehwal is doing everything she can to keep herself ahead of her competitors. She trains for over ten hours a day without fail. It is very hard to believe for many people but she doesn’t have life outside of badminton. She hardly eats junk food, doesn’t have any friends outside the ones she meets at the Gopichand Badminton Academy where she trains, and doesn’t shop or go out much.

But the girl doesn’t regret it. She says that all sportspersons have lived life like that. The only friend they have is their dedication to sports. This girl knows that it takes a lot to be a champion. She also refers that Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer, and many other sports personalities have lived their life that way.

When it comes to dedication of Saina Nehwal to sports, her coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand recounts an incident after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They were on their way back and Saina was crying. He tried to lighten the mood but it didn’t work. Then, he told her that they would start practising the next day at 6 a.m. to shock her out if it. He meant it in jest but the girl’s answer shocked him. She looked at Gopichand and said, “Sir, can we please start at 7 instead of 6?” Gopichand was astounded to see the kind of dedication this young girl carried for badminton.

Within a few years of playing elevated her from number 140 to number 4. She firmly believes that she is a champion and loves all the attention she gets due to the sport. Her happiness lies in her fans admiration and kids who look up to her as an icon.

But how could the media stay away from this determined and dedicated girl? It compared her to Sania Mirza which was inevitable. After all, the two are female youth icons who have made it big in their respective fields. The fans adore them.

But Saina feels that the comparison is not justifiable. According to Saina, the comparison is fair if both the players are World No 2. She feels that Sania does really well in doubles but not in singles. Saina takes immense pride in winning four Super Series’ which is the equivalent to Grand Slams. On the other hand, Sania hasn’t won a single one. So, she feels there is no question of comparison. To end the comparison, Saina mentions her gold at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Her rise to the top has a lot to do with dedication. Bharat Petroleum has been sponsoring her since 2004. She holds a job as a deputy manager with them. In 2005, the Mittal Champions Trust under Manisha Malhotra sponsored her and that allowed her to participate in any tournament she wanted for the next four years without worrying about money. Since 2009, she’s been handled by Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures who look after her endorsement deals (she reportedly gets Rs. 1 crore a deal).

Her mother always knew Saina had it in her to make it big since a long time. She made sure that Saina train really hard. As a kid, Saina had to stay back an extra hour after all the other kids had left to play three extra rallies with fresh players. And that has held her in good stead since then.

Her mother noticed the dedication of her child for badminton since she was six months old. The game made her so happy that she used to burst into maniacal laughter. The shuttlecock being hit back and forth made her happy. This incident scared her a lot.

And her mother also made sure that she trained hard. She also mentions that in today’s time, Saina leaves the moment her coach asks to.

Now, the question is whether or not there will be another Saina in the world of badminton. The fans may or may not give a positive answer to this but Saina Nehwal is sure. She feels that there won’t be another Saina as one needs to train really hard to be like her. She has the capacity and willpower to go on for the whole day but most girls today are very lazy. They will never do it.

What Others Say about

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal has made India proud. She has thousanads of fans in nationwide and abroad. In fact, the best of players and the legends (from the field of sports and many others) appreciate her hard work and invincible skills.

So, what do the legends have to say about her? Let’s hear it from the legends themselves.

The yesteryear legend of the cricket Kapil Dev is a candid admirer of Saina Nehwal.

“I’m looking forward to shaking Saina’s hand. In fact, I would have done so even if she didn’t get the bronze. I’d still give her 100 out of 100 for reaching the last-four of such a huge event.”

“What’s remarkable is that Saina has raised the bar for Indian women. I don’t think there are more than a few hundred women shuttlers of quality in the country, compared to thousands in China, but there’s going to be a boom now... Saina’s a new age-woman... Gifted and so successful.”

– Kapil Dev

England’s chief coach Jokob Hoi has admired Saina for her unsurpassed skill and invincible quality to give her best to a tournament.

“Saina has a very solid game and she sticks to the basics. She recovers well, does not pressurise herself, has strong arms and thighs which are very important for this sport.”

“Saina is not afraid to create chances. She knows how to create chances like which shot to take when during a match. She is not afraid to take the initiative which is in the case with many Indian shuttlers. For example, she knows she is not the best at the net but still knows how to tackle drops. Her smashes are not scary but are always very accurate. Overall, she has a very good game.”

“Her fitness is great and her ability to manoeuvre around the court is also good. She has the deception in her game and her overall stroke play is great, committing lesser mistakes. I have a lot of respect for her.”

– Jokob Hoi

The God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar is full of praise for Saina. Once, heaping praises on Saina, Tendulkar said:

“Whatever I have seen of her there is no drama involved, it’s just quality badminton and that is what you expect from a sportsperson. After winning (bronze medal) also, she has not got carried away and that’s the beauty of being a champion sportperson. Saina gave India it’s first-ever medal in badminton at Olympics when her Chinese opponent withdrew from the bronze medal play-off after injuring her knee. This medal means a lot for India, I am sure this medal has not come without dedication, hard work, focus, and having a vision.”

– Sachin Tendulkar

Coach and mentor Saina Nehwal for a very long time, Gopichand is always full of praises for his student.

“She has a lot more belief in her and the desire to win is very-very intense. Not many players have that kind of huge desire to win.”

– Pullela Gopichand

Indian all-time great and All England champion in 1980 Prakash Padukone is proud of Saina. He has seen her playing against the fierce Chinese players and admires ‘never say die spirit’.

“She is the most complete woman shuttler in the world now.”

– Prakash Padukone

Chairman and managing director of Rhiti Sports Arun Pandey undertakes great pride in having Saina as their brand ambassador.

“We are delighted to have Saina on board, who has brought great pride to the nation with her exploits. We are proud to be associated with someone who is not only a youth icon for women in the country but has also done a lot for Badminton as a sport.”

– Arun Pandey

The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh honoured Saina’s patriotic spirit by congratulating Nehwal on her victories.

“Saina’s victory is a milestone for Indian sports.”

– Dr. Manmohan Singh

The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is a huge fan of Saina Nehwal.

“Saina has done the country proud and I want her to prosper in life.”

– Mulayam Singh Yadav

Saina’s victory at the Indonesian Open Super Series was a grand vent. It was memorable for the entire country. The Bollywood was jubiliant and couldn’t resist congratulating her. The entire Bollywood brigade took to microblogging site Twitter to shower praise on the 20-year-old sports sensation. Bollywood stars tweeted praise as Saina Nehwal completed a stupendous hat-trick of badminton titles and made the world take notice of her.

The actor Anupam Kher loves sports and congratulated Saina:

“Saina is the most focused sportsperson in the country today. And it shows. Hope the advertising world doesn’t take over her life and game.”

– Anupam Kher

Saina’s third successive title after winning the Indian Open Grand Prix and Singapore Open made Sikander Kher (actor Anupam Kher’s son) emotional. He cheered Saina by writing: “GO SAINA!!!”

– Sikander Kher

Abhishek Bachchan likes Saina’s spirit and makes it a point to congratulate her by tweeting text messges:

“Saina congratulation!! Way to go girl!”

– Abhishek Bachchan

Riteish likes to watch Saina’s tournaments and championships. He makes it a point to catch up with her tournaments whenever he gets time.

“SAINA – truly a remarkable feat – congratulations!”

– Riteish Deshmukh

This talented actor Rahul Bose is also a former member of the Indian rugby team. He likes the way Saina plays. He feels that her amazing spirit to win and do her best in the court has always done the nation proud.

“Fantastic for Saina. If you read about her you get to know the massive hard work and sacrifice she and her family have put in.”

– Rahul Bose

The beautiful actress Shilpa Shetty is into sports with her tryst with IPL off late. She likes Saina and appreciates her dedication to Badminton. She feels that the young girl has made the nation proud.

“So happy to see Saina win the Indonesian Cup. Good to see girls from our country come up in the world of sports. Heart swells with pride. U (You) go girl!”

– Shilpa Shetty

The actor, director and producer Karan Johar had admitted his passiveness towards badminton. The filmmaker is a huge fan of Saina.

“Kudos to Saina Nehwal!! Not that I follow badminton, but just watching the pride on her parents’ face was beyond victory! You go girl!”

– Karan Johar

The Chinese female players have always been known for their fierce way of playing badminton and incredible strategies they apply to win over the best players across the globe. Li Yongbo, China’s head coach has seen Nehwal playing and could make out the fire within the girl.

“Nehwal posed a big challenge to Wang Xin and she is a strong player. She did a very good job. I agree that in the women’s singles more foreign players are doing better than before.”

– Li Yongbo - China’s head coach

Table of Contents

Title

Preface

Contents

1. The Young Girl Who Brought Glory to India

2. Birth of a Badminton Star

3. Childhood of Saina

4. The Steady Winning Rituals

5. Saina’s Journey to the Top

6. Some Special Moments in Saina’s Career

7. Saina’s Coaches

8. Saina’s Preparation Before Match

9. Ideal Diet for a Badminton Player>

10. How to Be Mentally Prepared Before a Game

11. Awards and Honours – A Part of Saina Nehwal’s Life

12. Saina’s Injury Free Career

13. What Makes Saina Nehwal Super Saina and a Winner?

14. Some of the Significant Years in Saina Nehwal’s Life

15. Saina Nehwal’s Daily Training Schedule

16. Sponsorship and Endorsements

17. The Sacrifice of Parents

18. Badminton Fitness

19. Stepping into the Glamour World

20. Saina’s Favourite Badminton Players

21. Saina’s Favourite Cities

22. The Sportspersons Saina Admires

23. Saina and Her Chinese Opponents

24. Saina’s Non Badminton Interests

25. Saina Nehwal and Spirituality

26. Famous Quotes by Saina Nehwal and Eminent Badminton Players

27. Saina and Her Lucky Courts

28. Future Plans of Saina Nehwal

29. Things You Didn’t Know about Saina Nehwal

30. Saina’s Best Friend – Dedication

31. What Others Say about Saina Nehwal