Badminton Queen of India Saina Nehwal

by Saran, Renu

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.

&
nbsp; 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.