Badminton Queen of India Saina Nehwal (20 page)

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