Is it just me or has anyone noticed it.. [FONT=arial, sans-serif]Edwin Iriawan has become a positive change for SN. I see her playing a bit better now. Any thoughts?[/FONT]
She's certainly moving much better, her reactions are sharper than before; at least that's what I could notice from the match against Tine, but then Tine herself was not plaing at her best... What I did notice was that Saina appeared to have more time to play her shots; that means a lot of things are coming out right. I also noticed that she was generally not in a hurry to finish off a point. She worked the point to where she had the clear advantage and only then went for the kill. Her net-play has improved and become more consistent. Maybe the venue at Odense suits her game better this year, if it plays slower... Her backhand appears to have improved! I overheard Edwin remind her again to get to base position quickly; that was an old issue with Saina and it's good that he reminds her constantly about it. It is little things like that which make the difference between winning and losing.
Totally agree. I noticed there was a difference but didnt know what it was... The only change I saw was Edwin... Now that you point that out her backhand and net play does seems better... not that it was worse. May be because of the slower courts. We shall wait and see how she does in French open. How are the French courts? Slower or faster?
Saina Nehwal in final Odense (Denmark), October 21, 2012 http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/saina-nehwal-in-final/article4017309.ece Excerpts: ...Wang, the London Olympics silver medallist, looked in great physical distress and finally decided to throw in the towel after lagging 7-12 in the second game. Saina had won the first game comfortably at 21-12. ...This is Saina’s first victory over Wang. The 22-year-old Indian was down 0-5 in the first game but recovered brilliantly, pocketing six points on the trot. She then went into the break at 11-6. After the break, Saina continued her fine run and held on to her lead and finally nosed ahead with four straight points. In the second game, Saina once again opened up a healthy 9-2 lead. Saina went into the breather at 11-6 with a body-line shot. Wang clearly looked in difficulty because of the injury and after a consultation with the tournament doctor decided to quit.
Is this the genesis of Saina v2.0 ? ... I'd venture out on a limb and say it is. Why? She appears to be more calm and serene than I can ever remember seeing her! No anger, no angst, no screwed-up faces of concentration, or disgust at herself. She doesn't lose her composure even when she is in a tight corner. She is moving forward on court very well, and with purpose. She is able to find her range very quickly. She does not go to town trying to smash her opponent off court, like she used to do. She constructs points with great accuracy. She is able to read the shape of her opponent up until the very last moment, and then play the most effective return, even in marginal situations. And I do believe all this comes from the fact that she must be now at peace with herself. Good for Saina. Good for India. Good for badminton. The WS game is becoming more interesting to watch, with better challenges at the very top. I hope she can build on this and keep improving, and keep evolving in the same direction. There are still some technical niggles and a few weak areas of play, but with her improved physical condition and renewed focus and composure, these things can be sorted out by her team.
I am seeing a total different saina in the shots she had been playing. And i have heard her saying that she like Roger federer a lot. She might be following his steps being calm at any situation. But she has improved her game a lot. Starting from taking the net play to giving smashes everything are in very great perfection. Good going saina. We hope sindhu to recover soon and assist you in breaking the china wall soon and dominating the women's singles badminton.
Is Saina playing with BG65? As far as I remember it's the only Yonex string that comes in blue or are there any others?
Saina Nehwal thanks God and fans for Denmark Open victory Press Trust of India Sunday, 21 October 2012 http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/...ier-title-of-career-with-denmark-open-victory Excerpts: Olympic bronze-medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal fought through a troubling knee to clinch her fourth title of the year by lifting the Denmark Open Super Series Premier trophy with a dominating win in the final on Sunday. ..."I thank Denmark and the Indian fans here for supporting me. I never expected to win this tournament," an elated Saina said after the win which took her overall lead against Schenk to 6-3. ..."There were a lot of things which I did after Olympics which made me fresh but every tournament is tough. My right knee was not really in perfect shape but I thank God for giving me the energy to win the title," said Saina who had beaten world number one Yihan Wang in the semifinals.
Saina at the Denmark Open has given her most comprehensive and compelling performance to date. She simply outclassed every other WS player in the tournament; her level of play was consistently better in every match. A very deserving victory and very polished performance right through. Even her post-match interview was a polished and assured performance. Congratulations to Saina! This marks her 16th International title, her 6th SS title and her second PSS title of 2012.
Yes. I hope Saina could be assisted by any other WS players from any nations to break China Wall and make the badminton competition more interesting on WS department, otherwise she would be like LCW.
Now that she won an Olympic medal a lot of pressure has come off her and may be its just that she plays better when there is no pressure. Being the only one from the country was weighing too much on her. As we know that she has just trained for 5 weeks after Olympics and I dont think its possible to change so many aspects of your game in such short span of time. She is making better short selection and judgement because she is calm and at peace.
Thanks saina for giving us a wonderful treat to watch a great tournament. If somebody there to clear my doubt about the upcoming french open 2012. I have seen so many MS players from india participating in that tournament. But i am seeing only anand pawar in qualification rounds. Is that something i am missing here or they have withdrawn from the game?
Maybe the knee injury is making her play differently and it turned out to be a blessing. Maybe she is anticipating more, minimising shots that cause her to run a lot etc. In a year or 2, I predict more India & Thai players will be up there consistently in the winners podium ... with China players of course.
I am really expecting french open 2012 badminton. Saina will pick this superseries title also. I am sure about that.
Actually, it's because she knows that Juliane is an openly warm and expressive person. You won't find Saina hugging most of her opponents. But you will see Juliane doing it. In fact, her semi-finals opponent, Jiang Yanjiao was noticably touched by Juliane's gesture at the net after their match. That was a brutal match, and for one player to appreciate the greatness of the other does mean a lot.
http://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=715D0989-8767-4036-BD07-9ECF428FEF10&draw=1 It appears Arvind Bhat is there as well... I believe Anand Pawar trains at a club in Europe (Germany?) which would probably explain why he frequently takes part in European events.