Badminton News: Saina Nehwal is aware that qualifying for the Paris Olympics will be “difficult” for her, but the injured Indian has no intention of stopping badminton and will do everything to revive her career.
Battered by a series of injuries, including recurring knee problems, and other health issues, the 33-year-old from Hyderabad has struggled to stay fit enough to continue competing on the BWF World Tour.
His ranking has currently fallen to 55th in the world.
“I have inflammation in my knee every time I train for an hour or two. I can’t bend my knee so a second workout is not possible. The doctors gave me several injections .Of course, the Olympics are close and it is difficult (to qualify),” Saina told reporters.
“But I tried my best to come back. The physiotherapists helped me but if the inflammation doesn’t go down, recovery will take longer. I also don’t want to play half-heartedly and the results won’t be optimal . either.”
“If you try to compete with An Seyoung, or Tai Tzu Ying or Akane (Yamaguchi), it won’t happen with just an hour of practice. The level has increased a lot. So when you are competing against top players, you need a high level of play,” said Saina, who was named the ‘Race Ambassador’ for the Harvest Gold Global Race on September 24 in Gurugram.
The former world number 1 last played at the Singapore Open in June this year.
It was his sixth tournament of the season. He made just one quarter-final out of 14 events in 2022, while his semi-final at the Orléans Masters was his best performance out of 8 events in 2021.
“If you think the knee has inflammation after training, and even in tournaments, if it appears after a round, then that will be a negative sign,” he said.
It’s easy to play, take care of your body, there are no major distractions. Hopefully with the guidance of the physiotherapist and Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, let’s see how I recover and come back. It all depends on practice.”
There is no deadline for retirement
Two-time world championship medalist Saina Nehwal last won a title in January 2019 at the Malaysia Masters.
Despite recurring knee problems, he also suffered from groin and ankle problems, as well as being diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis and mild pancreatitis in the past.
When asked about retirement, Saina Nehwal said, “Woh toh sab ko karna parta hai (everyone has to retire one day)… there is no time limit. Everyone stops when you feel like your body isn’t supporting you.”
“But right now, I’m trying. As a sportsman, it is my duty to try because I love this game and have been playing it for many years.
“But no matter how much I tried. I did everything, which means I can’t have regrets. My goal is not to participate in the Asian Games or the Olympics, because I have achieved a lot in this tournament and of course it would be better if I could play, but let’s see how it goes.”
Saina Nehwal supported Sindhu in her week-long training at PPBA
Saina, who trained under former India coach Vimal Kumar in 2015-16, supported compatriot PV Sindhu’s decision to train for a week at Prakash Padukone’s academy in Bengaluru to regain his best form.
“A change of coach helps if you feel something is wrong under the coach or a change of atmosphere helps too. You have to try. I tried and I was able to reach world number 1, reach the final of the world championship.”
“After playing 8 times in the quarterfinals, my mind stopped wondering if I could make it to the quarterfinals. But I made it after a few changes. It’s necessary for a player.
“And why not? It’s your career. After all, you’re the one who’s going to sit and think about what I’ve accomplished in my career, so change is always good if it helps.”
Saina Nehwal feels World Championship bronze medalist HS Prannoy has an opportunity to bring home a medal from Hangzhou, China.
“Let’s see that there are difficult challenges ahead. But I think Prannoy is good and Sindhu always performs well in big tournaments,” he said.
The London Olympic bronze medalist believes the young women’s singles brigade lacks the all-round game needed to succeed on the world stage.
“Badminton is one of the most physically difficult sports in the world. You have to be 100% fit all year round to be able to play 17-20 tournaments a year. Sindhu and I are talented, we are natural recoverers on the field. and we also have an offensive game.
“But from what I watched the match, the other players have some flaws. It’s not easy to play at the highest level unless you have a complete game. We missed here and there.”
Article Tag: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, India
