Saina Nehwal

**SibugiChai** · 06-29-2010, 10:20 PM

Only 20yo... a bright future ahead of her if she can maintain injury free & discipline..

**vpsingh** · 06-30-2010, 06:15 AM

She should do well in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games at home and in Asian Games/World Championship later. Hope she can maintain her fitness and avoid exerting herself by playing selected tournaments.

**SibugiChai** · 07-02-2010, 12:48 AM

Badminton: Almost famous

It has taken Saina Nehwal three Super Series titles to gain celebrity status in India but she tells XPRESS her feet are still firmly grounded

By Jaydip Sengupta, Sports Writer
Published: 00:00 July 1, 2010
Reader comments (0)

Saina Nehwal
Image Credit: Xpress /Abdel-krim Kallouche

Dubai: The ringtone on her cell phone, lines from a popular Hindi number which roughly translated means "why do you always talk about money and why are you so obsessed with it" can't be further from Saina Nehwal's outlook in life. For someone with increasing riches, money is possibly the last thing on her mind, as world badminton's brightest star told XPRESS in an exclusive interview from Hyderabad following her incredible feat of winning a hat-trick of titles.
"I just found that song very funny, which is why it has become my ringtone, The fact that it talks about money has nothing to do with the way I look at life. I am not after money, I can tell you that," she said, after finally getting some free time to herself following a hectic day of being honoured, dealing with the media and, finally, sleep.
"I landed in Hyderabad on Tuesday morning and since then it has been a blur really. I finally managed to catch up on some sleep later in the day," Nehwal added, still sounding a bit tired.
And tired she might be after winning the Indian Open, Singapore Open and the Indonesian Open - the last two being Super Series events - in the space of three weeks.
More relief than joy
"After winning the first two events, I was already weary. My physio actually did a great job and I managed to get through in Indonesia and defend my title, so it was more of a relief in the end," she said.
So, which of the two Indonesian Open titles does she cherish more?
"The first Super Series title is always special and I beat the then world No 1 on the way. But this year's is more special given that it was my third tournament win in a row," she said.
Having already risen to World No 3, this series of victories seems to have finally made her a celebrity in her country. "Well, one Super Series title should have been enough, but I guess it needed three in a row for me to become that," she said, tongue-in-cheek, before adding: "That of course won't change me as a person. I will still remain the same, with my feet firmly on the ground."
You would tend to believe her given how excited she was to receive a message from fellow Hyderabadi, tennis player Sania Mirza. "That was very sweet of Sania, sending a text to congratulate me," she said.
For now, it's rest and thereafter, it's the world championships where she will get to meet more of the Chinese. "I have almost cracked the Chinese puzzle. I always believed it is possible to beat them, I just had to be patient. I have improved on my stamina and defence and I now need to strengthen my net game to make that final jump. I am not overly concerned about the No 1 ranking since winning tournaments will take care of that," she said.
Rising graph

The Indonesian Open was Nehwal's third Super Series title, having won the same title last year and the Singapore Open this year
Nehwal's career best ranking of No 3 sees her sandwiched between six Chinese players at the top
Her cumulative earnings from the three consecutive tournament wins this year amounted to over $42,000 (Dh154,000)

**george@chongwei** · 07-02-2010, 12:58 AM

whoah. saina nehwal having make up eh?/

**CLELY** · 07-02-2010, 10:34 PM

I am not perfect: Saina

RUPAM JAIN, Jul 3, 2010, 12.00am IST

Confesses shuttle queen and World No 3 Saina Nehwal in an interview to us

------------------------------------------

Excerpts from an interview:

I’m not perfect
Ever since she went on a winning spree last year, she has been expected to continue doing well. And now that she has won three international tournaments in a row, there’s bound to be more expectations from her fans. “I appreciate that people believe in me, but at the same time, I would like to say that I am not perfect. Every sportsperson needs to keep growing, there is no end to that. To consider that I am perfect only because I have achieved this feat would be wrong. I don’t know myself whether I can repeat this performance next year or not.”

I can be No. 1
The 20-year-old believes more in herself than she does in others. “The No 3 ranking did not come easy to me. Along with my coach (Pullela Gopichand) I have worked really hard to reach here. And if I can be No. 3, then of course I have the ability to be No. 1 too. You see rankings come naturally if you keep performing well. If I do well, my rankings will improve. If I don’t, needless to say, the rankings will fall. But I am not going to let myself fall. Whenever I am on the verge of a fall, I tell myself ‘Saina, you can do it, don’t fall’. I just want to keep playing better and better and rise to new highs. I expect a lot from myself , so, there’s actually no room for outside pressures.”

-----------------------------------------
*Read completely through The Times of India.com -- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/l...ow/6119291.cms

**vpsingh** · 07-03-2010, 01:46 AM

Saina recently took time out from badminton to visit Hyderabad fashion week and even walk on the ramp.
She looks great in the traditional Hyderabadi Muslim Bride attire.

http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/a...ow/6123577.cms

(I don't think organisers will reveal how much she was paid

)

**chris-ccc** · 07-03-2010, 04:49 AM

Originally Posted by vpsingh

Saina recently took time out from badminton to visit Hyderabad fashion week and even walk on the ramp.
She looks great in the traditional Hyderabadi Muslim Bride attire.

http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/a...ow/6123577.cms

(I don't think organisers will reveal how much she was paid

)

.
Thanks for the link to her photos, vpsingh.

Now our BCers can see Saina Nehwal with make-ups on.

.

**vpsingh** · 07-14-2010, 03:23 AM

(The Times of India 13 Jul 2010)

NEW DELHI: Star shuttler Saina Nehwal will lead India's challenge in the World Championship in Paris in August.
The nine-member squad includes Aditi Mutatkar, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Chetan Anand, Parupalli Kashyap, Sanave Thomas, V Diju and Rupesh Kumar.
Pullela Gopichand will be the chief coach.
Announcing the squad, Badminton Association of India president VK Verma hoped that Saina, the youngest Indian captain, will inspire the team to perform well.
Saina, who is World No. 3, said she will not be under pressure.
"Badminton is an individual game. Each one is responsible for himself. We have strong players. I have followed their performance in the Singapore Open. Everyone is on the same wavelength. I will focus on my game and ensure that I do well," Saina said.
"It is just the playing environment which will be different in the World Championships. I will have my team cheering for me and I, in turn, will be there for them," he said.
Saina, who last month won three titles in as many weeks, including two Super Series events, was felicitated by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and national team sponsor Premier Brands for her achievement here Tuesday. She was presented 20 gold coins, synonymous with her age.
Premier Brands chairman Suresh Kumar said they will be presenting 101 gold coins to Saina if she performs well in the World Championships.
Saina lost in the quarterfinals of the World Championships at Hyderabad last year.

**chris-ccc** · 07-14-2010, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by vpsingh

(The Times of India 13 Jul 2010)

NEW DELHI: Star shuttler Saina Nehwal will lead India's challenge in the World Championship in Paris in August.
The nine-member squad includes Aditi Mutatkar, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Chetan Anand, Parupalli Kashyap, Sanave Thomas, V Diju and Rupesh Kumar.
Pullela Gopichand will be the chief coach.
Announcing the squad, Badminton Association of India president VK Verma hoped that Saina, the youngest Indian captain, will inspire the team to perform well.
Saina, who is World No. 3, said she will not be under pressure.
"Badminton is an individual game. Each one is responsible for himself. We have strong players. I have followed their performance in the Singapore Open. Everyone is on the same wavelength. I will focus on my game and ensure that I do well," Saina said.
"It is just the playing environment which will be different in the World Championships. I will have my team cheering for me and I, in turn, will be there for them," he said.
Saina, who last month won three titles in as many weeks, including two Super Series events, was felicitated by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and national team sponsor Premier Brands for her achievement here Tuesday. She was presented 20 gold coins, synonymous with her age.
Premier Brands chairman Suresh Kumar said they will be presenting 101 gold coins to Saina if she performs well in the World Championships.
Saina lost in the quarterfinals of the World Championships at Hyderabad last year.

.
So unfortunate that Saina is not in Melbourne, Australia, for our 2010 Australian Open GP.

Would love to catch up with Saina again.

.

**johnjacob** · 07-15-2010, 08:16 AM

Oh, and by the way... Saina Nehwal is world number two now!

Linkety link.

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal is just a step away from realising her goal of becoming the world's numero uno player as she jumped one place to a career-best second in the latest international rankings.

**Thom_bad** · 07-15-2010, 08:48 AM

Yes, wining 3 titles in-a-row, she might be considered as one of the favourite for the WorldChamps

**SibugiChai** · 07-15-2010, 09:17 AM

the CHinese are always favourite when it comes to Women Singles

**Thom_bad** · 07-15-2010, 09:23 AM

For sure they are but some non chinese can challenge and upset them : Saina Nehwal, Tine Baun, Juliane Schenk, Pi Hongyan, Yippy, Zhou Mi, etc..

**CLELY** · 07-15-2010, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by johnjacob

Oh, and by the way... Saina Nehwal is world number two now!

Linkety link.

And she may get seeding #2 at upcoming WC

Originally Posted by SibugiChai

the CHinese are always favourite when it comes to Women Singles

Last year edition, China WS grabbed one set medal, only Wang Yihan failed to win any medal.
Will it repeat once again in Paris?

**chris-ccc** · 07-15-2010, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by johnjacob

Oh, and by the way... Saina Nehwal is world number two now!

Linkety link.

Originally Posted by CLELY

And she may get seeding #2 at upcoming WC

.
Saina Nehwal is World No.2 !!!

Congratulations to Saina. I still remember my post in this thread, Post #6, that Saina will one day be a World Singles Champion.

Originally Posted by chris-ccc

I am very happy for Saina Nehwal. I watched her played well at the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne just weeks ago. I told Saina, herself, that she will one day be a World Singles Champion. But I didn't think she believed me. Saina is only 16.