by Saran, Renu
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 i
mpossible 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 like
s 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.
