Saina Nehwal

[cobalt]

Agree. Refer #491
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/foru...=1#post1642148
Although, I noticed that her backhand and deceptive skills have certainly improved recently.
Her smashes overall, were also much more venomous and well-directed through this tournament.

[Fan888]

I noticed that Wang YH played a lot of pushes initially making Saina twist and turn. Twisting and turning with changes of balance is not Saina's strong point at all. She doesn't seem to have the same ability to change acceleration compared to the chinese players. Racquet skills wise, I don't see a big difference at all.

Good analysis. I was surprised by effectiveness of those pushes even though WYH missed many of them. Something she needs to work on before facing team CHN next time.

[CLELY]

Saina can end Chinese domination: Guabao

PTI | Jun 29, 2011, 06.22pm IST

SINGAPORE: Former badminton ace Xiong Guabao feels that India's Saina Nehwal could be the only woman shuttler who can consistently beat the Chinese players even though she has lost a few crucial matches of late.

"Right now there is no one who can compete with the Chinese players and the only competitor who appears to have a chance to end their dominance is Saina Nehwal of India," said Guabao on the sidelines of the launch of a new brand of badminton racquet with scientifically-designed grip in collaboration with an Indian company, One Sports on Wednesday.

Guabao, who won 13 major titles, including the Thomas Cup singles crown during 1980s and 1990s has not seen the Indian ace play "live" but from what he has seen on television, he felt that Saina has the skills to stop the Chinese juggernaut.

"She is a very talented player with strong skills. If she can put in the extra effort and improve her game she can do the job," the veteran said.
--------------------------------------------
Read completely : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...ow/9039937.cms

*It should be Xiong Guobao not Xiong Guabao as mentioned by above article

[pjswift]

One thing I realize about coaches who don t follow tournaments. They are not usually as updated as BC members.

Is Juliane Schenk not a threat? JS is a CHN WS specialist. That s why she has problems with some strong non-CHN WS.

[Cheung]

That news article is probably more about promoting the racquet rather than Saina. LOL

[cobalt]

Saina Nehwal revelation fuels India's doping scandal ahead of London Olympics

The Telegraph, UK. Friday 08 July 2011

Full report: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...-Olympics.html

Excerpts:

Saina Nehwal, India's top badminton player, has claimed that doping in the country was widespread following the news that eight athletes had tested positive for banned substances.

"I know many athletes and weightlifters who themselves tell me that 'we take it'," Nehwal told local media. "It's sad that so many of the CWG (Commonwealth Games) and Asian Games medal winners tested positive."

"Athletes and the weightlifters, in most cases, are less educated or not educated at all. They just take what their coaches give them," said Nehwal.

"It is really sad that the athletes don't know what they take. The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) website is very informative and has a complete list of the banned substances.

"A player can easily log on and see if the drugs that they are consuming are in the banned list or not."

Earlier this week India's Sports Minister Ajay Maken sacked Yuri Ogorodnik, the Ukrainian coach of the country's stable of female 400m runners.

[cobalt]

Draw favours Saina at World Championships
TNN | Jul 26, 2011, 01.18AM IST


Full report: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...ow/9364634.cms

Excerpt:

HYDERABAD: Saina Nehwal could not have asked for a better draw than what she has been handed out at the BWF World Championships to be held in London from August 8 to 14. The Indian ace, who has been given a first round bye, should consider herself lucky as she will get enough time to acclimatize herself to the conditions before facing tougher battles. She should be able to reach the quarterfinals without breaking a sweat.

[Cheung]

Byes are double edged swords. This is a new venue. An opponent who has played another match before her has had the benefit of match practice under the new conditions.

I wouldn't read too much into this article.

[chris-ccc]

Draw favours Saina at World Championships
TNN | Jul 26, 2011, 01.18AM IST


Full report: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...ow/9364634.cms

Excerpt:

HYDERABAD: Saina Nehwal could not have asked for a better draw than what she has been handed out at the BWF World Championships to be held in London from August 8 to 14. The Indian ace, who has been given a first round bye, should consider herself lucky as she will get enough time to acclimatize herself to the conditions before facing tougher battles. She should be able to reach the quarterfinals without breaking a sweat.

.
And the article continues;

The world No.6 may face Adrianti Firdasari of Indonesia in the second round. Seeded sixth in the tournament, Saina should have it easy against the unseeded Indonesian.

The reporter probably didn't know that their last match was won by Adrianti Firdasari;

Sat 27-Feb-2010 Uber Cup Preliminary Asia Zone:

Adriyanti Firdasari defeated Saina Nehwal 21-16, 21-15 in just 28 minutes.

More Info: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sp...0316E&match=41
.

[cobalt]

Indian cricket team analyst to work with Saina
PTI | Jul 26, 2011, 09.03PM IST

Full story: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...ow/9373826.cms

Excerpts:

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket team's video analyst, S Ramakrishan will be working with ace shuttler Saina Nehwal to help her improve her game ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

...Ramakrishan, better known as Ramki, has been roped in by Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a non-profit venture that supports Saina and other medal prospects for the London Games.

...After devoting the first six months to collecting data and other informations on Saina and her opponents, Ramakrishan said the shuttler will be put on the simulator in the latter half of her preparation for the quadrennial extravaganza.

...Emphasising the need to have a trained performance analyst, Ramakrishna drove his point by saying that the Indian cricket team's performance has gone up over the years and it "is getting better" by the day.

[rajat_remar]

Her troubling ankle completely healed, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal can’t wait for the World Championships next week but conceded that months of rigorous preparation would count only if she gets into the rhythm quickly at the London event.

The 21-year-old took a break after the Indonesian Super Series to train for the event and said she will take it one round at a time from August 8 to 14.

“I have been working really hard for the last 4-5 months. There has been a lot of improvement but it will boil down to how well I adjust to the courts in London and play in the initial rounds,” Saina told PTI.

“It is a new arena. It is a test event for the London Olympics and we have never played there so we have to adjust to the conditions quickly to take on tougher opponents in the tournament,” she added.

The world number six got a bye in the first round and is likely to take on Adrianti Firdasari in the second round. Saina has a 2-2 record against the Indonesian.

“I have played quite a few tournaments with a bandage on my ankle and it was one of the reasons I couldn’t play well. But it has completely healed now and there is absolutely no pain anymore,” said Saina.

Being the only top 10 shuttler in the country, there is always pressure on Saina and she says this is something she has to deal with. “Pressure will always crop in when you don’t move well or your strokes don’t fetch you points but that is a part of a player’s life and we need to deal with it,” said Saina.

Asked about the 2012 London Olympics, Saina said that is still quite far away and though she is preparing for the multi-sport event, it is not on her mind right now.

“It is still far away. I am training and just want to keep doing that. My coach will draw up a schedule for that, there are many tournaments before the Olympics and I will play the Super Series and see how it goes,” she said.

[extremenanopowe]

Good. She needs to improve her fitness. Speed wise not an issue. She just have to do lots of court running to get fitter. Regularly playing against 2 persone for 3 games would be good. Brutal but important to beef it up. The chinese ladies are doing it.

[chris-ccc]

The world number six got a bye in the first round and is likely to take on Adrianti Firdasari in the second round. Saina has a 2-2 record against the Indonesian.

.
I fear that Saina will be disadvantaged when playing Adrianti Firdasari.

Adrianti Firdasari gets the advantage of adjusting to the courts first.
.

[cobalt]

Aamir a huge Saina Nehwal fan


Prashant Singh, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, August 04, 2011

Full story: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Aamir-...e1-729211.aspx

Excerpts:

...As badminton ace Saina Nehwal readies to go for the kill at the World Championships next week, the 21-year-old is looking forward to some encouraging words from an unusual fan — Aamir Khan.

...The actor, in fact, has been regularly cheering for Saina and makes it a point to send her congratulatory messages before and after each game.

...Lastly, ask Saina if she in touch with friend Deepika Padukone and she says, “Deepika is very clued in to badminton since she has also played the sport.” Besides being badminton legend Prakash Padukone’s daughter, not many know that the young actor has also played the game at state level. “Earlier, Deepika and I would keep in touch very regularly. Since she is a busy Bollywood star now, it’s difficult. But she’s a good friend.”

‘I am completely injury-free now’
...Saina, who has played several tournaments with a bandaged ankle over the past few months, has also grappled with a ligament injury. But she says she is “absolutely fine” now. “It (ankle) has healed and I don’t feel any discomfort,”

[rajat_remar]

N JAGANNATH DAS
Express News Service
Last Updated : 06 Aug 2011 11:23:06 AM IST


HYDERABAD: Chief coach Pullela Gopichand expects a much better performance from Saina Nehwal in the badm�inton World Championship, which gets underway at the Wembley Indoor Arena in London from Monday.

�The overall focus will be on Saina. She has also been playing and moving well. The practice sessions have been good for the last few weeks. We expect her to do well in London,�� said Gopichand , while speaking To TNIE before the Indian team�s departure to London. Excerpts from an interview...


On Saina�s recent show

I was not satisfied with her overall play in the last few tournaments. She was going through a lean patch, her str�okes were not on target. There were a few problems with her fitness but she is looking much better in the last four or five weeks. She has trained hard for the worlds.

On Saina under pressure

She is a seasoned player. She has played all the players whom she will face in the World Championship. There is nothing new in the world level in terms of players. It is how you get adjusted to the conditions and how focused you are before the tournament. That is all that matters.

On Olympics and World Championship

Saina should not keep the Olympics in mind now. She is capable of doing well and winning matches in the big events. She has showed it in the past. I would like her to play the World Championship like any another tournament. If the preparations is good, I don�t think there will be any problem for Saina.

On Saina�s fitness

Getting back her to full fitness was important. We concentrated on a few strokes. The fitness was down and we have been able to work to make her last three games. We feel things are looking much better now.

On Chinese factor

Chinese have the fear of Saina because she has beaten them consistently. Saina has the game to match them because you are going to have tough rounds and in the World C�ship the entire draw is tough. All the matches are going to be hard fought.

For more info: http://expressbuzz.com/sport/expect-...pi/301543.html

[undeadshot]

Saina has an easy draw? Firda and Yip Pui Yin won their last encounter!

[AlanY]

N JAGANNATH DAS
Express News Service
Last Updated : 06 Aug 2011 11:23:06 AM IST


HYDERABAD: Chief coach Pullela Gopichand expects a much better performance from Saina Nehwal in the badm�inton World Championship, which gets underway at the Wembley Indoor Arena in London from Monday.

�The overall focus will be on Saina. She has also been playing and moving well. The practice sessions have been good for the last few weeks. We expect her to do well in London,�� said Gopichand , while speaking To TNIE before the Indian team�s departure to London. Excerpts from an interview...


On Saina�s recent show

I was not satisfied with her overall play in the last few tournaments. She was going through a lean patch, her str�okes were not on target. There were a few problems with her fitness but she is looking much better in the last four or five weeks. She has trained hard for the worlds.

On Saina under pressure

She is a seasoned player. She has played all the players whom she will face in the World Championship. There is nothing new in the world level in terms of players. It is how you get adjusted to the conditions and how focused you are before the tournament. That is all that matters.

On Olympics and World Championship

Saina should not keep the Olympics in mind now. She is capable of doing well and winning matches in the big events. She has showed it in the past. I would like her to play the World Championship like any another tournament. If the preparations is good, I don�t think there will be any problem for Saina.

On Saina�s fitness

Getting back her to full fitness was important. We concentrated on a few strokes. The fitness was down and we have been able to work to make her last three games. We feel things are looking much better now.

On Chinese factor

Chinese have the fear of Saina because she has beaten them consistently. Saina has the game to match them because you are going to have tough rounds and in the World C�ship the entire draw is tough. All the matches are going to be hard fought.

For more info: http://expressbuzz.com/sport/expect-...pi/301543.html

what a load of rubbish, here is Nehwal's consistent head-to-head against the top 4 in the draw,

Saina NEHWAL 0-2 WANG Yihan
Saina NEHWAL 1-3 WANG Xin
Saina NEHWAL 0-3 JIANG Yanjiao
Saina NEHWAL 1-1 WANG Shixian


Gopichand is really taking the 'talking it up' to a new height.