Saina Nehwal

[avataar]

Saina has had direct entry into the main draw at the Dutch and also in the current Danish Open. If memory serves me right she was also a direct entry into the main draw at Macau.

Gopichand has been working with her and accompanied her to Macau. His tutleage is proving beneficial as can be seen from her performances.

She is definitely in the running to be a serious title contender at the Vietnam Open in early Nov

Saina at the Danish Open tomorrow - after two consecutive QF apperances in Macau and the Dutch Open a tough battle awaits Saina in RD1 facing 3rd seed Chinese Zhu Lin. This match will test Saina's all round play and mental strenghth and a prelude to see where her game is against more reputed and tougher opposition.

[Dr Harvir Singh]

Good la, then I can watch her play on Friday when I go.. ^^

Yes Madam
You are well come to see the game either live or on tournamentsoftware.com
With regards
Harvir

[Dr Harvir Singh]

I watched Saina play at the recent Macau Open. I took a special interest in watching her just because of this thread. It was her quarterfinal match against the Korean Jun JaeYung. I think the performance was creditable but there is one aspect of her game which can be raised a few notches. I'm talking about her footwork.

Consider foot positioning - her feet positioning is pretty much OK. I see sometimes when she is wrongfooted, the footwork becomes less clean. Sometimes when she does the little hop to pretension the legs, both feet land on the floor slightly out of synchrony. This slows down her first step when moving towards the shuttle. Not so noticeble when she's fresh but becomes more visible when she tires.

Speed of legs - on an adjacent court, two chinese ladies were having a singles game. Compare their movement with Saina's and you'll see a big difference. Saina doesn't have the same acceleration and rhythm changes when moving towards the shuttle. She can slowly (it's all relative) accelerate but her movement seems wanting for change of speed.

Tiredness - I saw after the first half of the 2nd game, Saina was having difficulty in reaching the shuttle and just reaching them a split second slower. This would get her into more difficulties because this becomes a cumulative effect. If her acceleration can be improved, I think the movement can be more efficient and she'll be less prone to fatigue in the game.

Mind you, Jun Jaeyung is no pushover and Saina did well to nearly grab the first game.

Sir
Thanks for being very critical. I will explain her the details you have mentioned.
Thanks
With regards
Harvir

[Dr Harvir Singh]

Saina has had direct entry into the main draw at the Dutch and also in the current Danish Open. If memory serves me right she was also a direct entry into the main draw at Macau.

Gopichand has been working with her and accompanied her to Macau. His tutleage is proving beneficial as can be seen from her performances.

She is definitely in the running to be a serious title contender at the Vietnam Open in early Nov

Saina at the Danish Open tomorrow - after two consecutive QF apperances in Macau and the Dutch Open a tough battle awaits Saina in RD1 facing 3rd seed Chinese Zhu Lin. This match will test Saina's all round play and mental strenghth and a prelude to see where her game is against more reputed and tougher opposition.

Sir
Pray to almighty for better result.
Harvir

[Oldhand]

Sir
Pray to almighty for better result.
Harvir

All the best to Saina, Dr Singh

[Cheung]

..(i haven't seen Saina played before), but could her "less than clean footwork" be the result of her being fatigue (knowing she's playing in the QF Rd.)?!..

Possibly. It's became more noticable as the match progressed.

Fatigue is a funny thing - it's affected by mental condition as well as physical condition. Both factors may both apply.

I think those details I mentioned may not be noticable to average spectator. I find it very interesting to compare each player's movements and footwork skills.

Good luck to Saina in all her matches.

[Dr Harvir Singh]

Possibly. It's became more noticable as the match progressed.

Fatigue is a funny thing - it's affected by mental condition as well as physical condition. Both factors may both apply.

I think those details I mentioned may not be noticable to average spectator. I find it very interesting to compare each player's movements and footwork skills.

Good luck to Saina in all her matches.

Sir
Greetings. Yesterday she played very well against Seed 3 Current world champion. Saina lost in 3 sets. Fist she won may be fatigue overpowered her.
Thanks
Dr Harvir

[jaydeep]

Very impressed with Cheung's observations about Saina's game ... I hope as Dr. Harvir Singh is regular member on this site he forward these observations to Saina and her coaches, like Gopichand.

Jaydeep.

[Cheung]

Very impressed with Cheung's observations about Saina's game ... I hope as Dr. Harvir Singh is regular member on this site he forward these observations to Saina and her coaches, like Gopichand.

Jaydeep.

Thank you. I'm sure the coaches have spotted it. I hope that a different source pointing out the same deficiencies will help add extra motivation. I must admit I would never have realised the changes of acceleration on my own. I had a very good singles coach who taught me the movement (but now I'm too old.)

It's great to see Saina acheiving more. Funnily enough, we have an ex-Indian team player coming to our club in HK. Maybe that's perked up my interest in Indian players.

[Krisna]

I might be wrong... but I think Saina is better off playing for India in the World Junior Championship in NZ this week... instead of the Denmark Open... More playing experience and help India win something... A moral boost for Indian badminton in general...

[Dr Harvir Singh]

Thank you. I'm sure the coaches have spotted it. I hope that a different source pointing out the same deficiencies will help add extra motivation. I must admit I would never have realised the changes of acceleration on my own. I had a very good singles coach who taught me the movement (but now I'm too old.)

It's great to see Saina acheiving more. Funnily enough, we have an ex-Indian team player coming to our club in HK. Maybe that's perked up my interest in Indian players.

Sir
Greetings. Mr Gopi Chand now and earlier Mr Aarif are doing their best for Saina to do better and better in badminton.
Thanks for your observation
With regards
Harvir

[shaunx]

Saina Nehwal is the first woman badminton player to win four international competitions. I think she is going to serve the nation for many years, but she needs to work on her speed and movement. Isn't it?suggestions.....

[Dreamzz]

Saina Nehwal is the first woman badminton player to win four international competitions. I think she is going to serve the nation for many years, but she needs to work on her speed and movement. Isn't it?suggestions.....

do you mean she's the first indian woman to do so?
she can't be the first woman ever to have won 4.

[george@chongwei]

do you mean she's the first indian woman to do so?
she can't be the first woman ever to have won 4.

she cant???
why she cant??

[wannabe]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

[Loh]

Newindpress
Saturday May 24 2008

Pavitra Srivatsan

Olympic stars have been in her eyes, ever since she picked up a badminton racquet. But 18-year-old Saina Nehwal, national women’s champion and world number 30, knows that dreams don’t translate into reality on their own. A fan of Roger Federer, Saina hopes to see the tennis champion in action at the Beijing Olympics. But her real focus is on badminton and making an honest attempt at Olympic glory. “I am quite young. I’ve already played at the Commonweath Games and the Uber Cup. I have many more big matches to come,” says Saina in this interview. Excerpts...

What went through your mind when you qualified for the Olympics?

It has always been my dream to participate in the Olympics and win a medal. I know that won’t be easy. Qualifying for the Olympics is only the first step. Now, I have to play consistently and improve my ranking. I have gained good experience by playing on the international circuit and have a good idea of how the top players play. This experience will help me improve my game. I am currently working on my game at a two-month camp with coaches from various parts of the world. I hope to improve all aspects of my game.

Both your parents played badminton. Did picking up a racquet come naturally to you?

Although I was quite active in most sports, I started playing badminton fairly late. I was into karate for a long time. I took up badminton at the behest of my father, at a summer camp at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. Badminton started as just as another activity, but soon, I started participating in tournaments and winning.

Did these wins motivate you to take badminton more seriously?

The wins made me very competitive. Having always been a runner, my stamina was good and, as I never liked letting the shuttlecock touch the ground, I would lunge and try to hit everything. In tournaments, I participated in both singles and doubles, playing non-stop from morning till evening. Once I started winning, I just wanted to get better and better.

You started playing in the senior circuit at a fairly young age.

Yes. I was only 14 when I participated in the senior circuit. I hadn’t played any under-19 tournaments at that time and I was obviously a little hesitant. Again, big names like Aparna Popat playing in the senior circuit then and I knew I had to raise my game.

How difficult was it for you to make the transition from the junior to senior level?

Initially, I lost a few matches, but I had my share of wins. In 2004, I lost to Aparna Popat. But then in October 2005, I defeated her at the Asian Satellite Badminton Championship, which I went on to win. Aparna was ranked 26th in the world at that time, so the victory was an amazing boost to my confidence.

Is it easier to win as a newcomer, when the burden of expectations doesn’t exist, or when one has become an established name?

Once you start winning, everyone automatically expects you to keep on winning. But I don’t let other the expectations of other people put me under pressure. I have played against most of the top players in the world now and have had many close matches. I keep learning from each match and focus on working hard.

What do you feel about the Chinese domination of the game?

There is no such thing as Chinese domination. The world number 1, a Chinese, is very good, but the rest are beatable. One of the major differences between the top three or four players in the world and the others is that they train together and get to practise together. When you have the world’s top two players practising together, the level of competition is high and this helps both players improve their strokes and stamina.

How are you preparing for the Beijing Olympics? What is your idea of ideal match practice?

I want to go abroad, play a few more international matches and get quality match practice before the Olympics. The Super Series events in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, all scheduled for next month, are on my agenda.

Have you set any year-end goals for yourself?

I don’t want to predict what rank I will have at the end of this year or the next. Of course, I want to be the world’s best player one day. I am waiting for the right moment. Till then, I hope to remain fit and injury free. That is all that matters right now.

pavitra.srivatsan@gmail.com

Hellocard

Name : Saina Nehwal
Age : 18
Nationality : Indian
Highest ranking : 21
Current ranking : 29

[chris-ccc]

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Loh... It's great that 18-year-old Saina Nehwal gets to qualify to play at the Beijing Olympics 2008.

Hope that Saina will do well at the Super Series events in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, all scheduled for next month, leading up to the Olympics.


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