Need to pick and choose what events I play in: Saina Nehwal

BENGALURU: PV Sindhu might be the queen of Indian women’s badminton at present but it is fair to say that Saina Nehwal was, at least partly responsible, for bringing the sport back into the limelight in the 21st century from an Indian context. 

The 28-year-old has been playing at the top level for more than a decade and has 10 Super Series titles to her credit. Besides, she also won the CWG gold in 2010 and 2018, 2012 London Olympics bronze and World Championship medals in 2015 (silver) and 2017 (bronze).

After having been involved in the top-tier for a decade, Saina, like many athletes, has had her share of injury problems, including a career threatening knee injury in 2016. She also suffered ankle and shin injuries among others. 

The shuttler has to be clever in selecting the tournaments she participates, especially with the need of playing at least 12 tournaments in a year. Ranked World No 9, there is a serious need for the Hyderabad woman to be on top of her game with the 2020 Olympics not far off. 

“This month I am planning to play in Malaysia and Indonesia. After that, let’s see how it goes. It’s going to be tough. We have 18-19 tournaments. The next year is an Olympic year, so the focus will be on doing well in a few tournaments. I cannot try to challenge myself throughout the year. Whatever tournaments I feel are important, I will give my best there, “ said Saina, who is representing North Eastern Warriors in the fourth edition of the PBL. 

If one looks at Saina’s 2018, it has been decent. She reached the finals of Syed Modi International, Denmark Open and the Indonesia Masters. 

There were plenty of positives from last season, beating the likes of Nozomi Oukhara and PV Sindhu twice while getting the better off Ratchanak Intanon three times besides other wins against big guns. 
However, her head-to-head record against Tai Tzu Ying is a point of concern. It stands at 5-14 with Saina’s last win coming in Swiss Open 2013. The Indian has lost to Tai Tzu in her last 12 outings and six of them came in 2018. The Chinese Taipei girl has become a nemesis for Saina, who lost to her in two finals last year. The Hyderabadi girl referred her to be an all-round player like tennis star Roger Federer

“It’s not easy to break someone who is so solid. She’s so good, and is armed with strokes, techniques and movements. She is an overall player. She is just like Federer. It’s not easy to beat her unless she is injured or is having a bad day. It’s not easy to beat a top-10 player because everyone fights hard. Even the first rounds are going to three games,” she signed off.

Bengaluru triumph

Bengaluru Raptors beat Chennai Smashers 3-2 in front of their home crowd in Premier Badminton League Season 4 at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. They will face Awadhe Warriors in the first semifinals, while defending champions Hyderabad Hunters will take on Mumbai Rockets in the second semifinal on Saturday.