Chicken pox should not hamper my participation in Worlds: Saina in MSN Friday, 31 July 2009 New Delhi: World No.6 Saina Nehwal is down with chicken pox, but she is confident of getting fit in time for the World Badminton Championships in Hyderabad from August 10. Saina said she has been advised rest for four days after which she will be able to take a call on when to start training. "I saw the doctor yesterday and they said it was chicken pox. I have been advised rest for four days, so there will be a break in my training, which was going well. But hopefully I will recover in time for the tournament," Saina told IANS on Thursday over phone from Hyderabad. "I was running temperature for last 3-4 days, but today (Thursday) I do not have fever." "My training will suffer a bit, but I hope I will still get some sessions to hit before the tournament," she said. Saina's coach Pullela Gopichand, too, is hopeful that she would be fine for the elite event. "She was not feeling well since Saturday. She is under treatment for the last four days. There is still some time left for the tournament and we are hoping that she will recover," Gopichand said. "It is not an ideal situation, but you can't do much about these things. She is taking all precautions and hopefully she will be fit for the worlds." Saina is India's biggest hope in the elite event. She had been riding high on form and won her maiden Super Series event in Indonesia last month. The 19-year-old, who has got a bye in the first round, is banking on her home advantage to put up a strong performance. Source: IANS
Now that is just sheer bad luck. It's being too moptimistic to think she could put up a good showing.
Lady with the birdie Deccan Herald Saturday 1 August 2009 Saina: smash hit of the season After a dream run on the international front, Saina Nehwal is aiming the peak. India’s ace badminton player has her goals set and is raring to be on top of world. Ronita Torcato traces the young champ’s journey so far. She is the World’s No. 6 and India’s current badminton queen and she earned the sobriquet the hard way. And now, with her self-confidence on a high, after bagging the Indonesian Open Super Series title at the Istora Senayan Stadium in Jakarta recently, there’s no stopping the young girl. Saina Nehwal is dreaming big; she’s dreaming of being “number one in the world”. And why not! There can be no looking back now. On a rainy July evening, a little-known group called Badminton 45, which is dedicated to the promotion of the sport, got Rajashree Birla to present the Hyderabad-based 19-year-old a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh at a crowded function hosted by the Bombay Gymkhana, a club formed in 1875 exclusively for Europeans, and remaining that way well into the 20th century — even Ranji was refused admission. Felicitation and prizes for all-time badminton greats as well as rising stars are part of Badminton 45’s agenda. The members include ex-internationals Aparna Popat, Ami Shah, Leroy DSa, Pradeep Gandhe, the great Nandu Natekar, Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, India’s current coach of whom Saina says: “He is the best training partner I can get.” Badminton 45 was formed when a few badminton players who quit competitive play wished to continue their association with their favourite sport. During the Sub Junior Nationals in Mumbai some years ago, Badminton 45 was impressed by a young girl who had advanced to four finals and won all four. It chose to honour the girl and named her the ‘Outstanding Player of the Year’. The girl was Saina Nehwal. After winning the Philippines Open Grand Prix title in 2006 to announce her arrival on the world stage, Saina followed that victory by snatching the 2008 World Junior Championships in Pune. On a roll All in all, it’s been a dramatic journey of breathtaking feats: being adjudged the world’s most promising junior by the international body and becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series title on June 21, 2009 by shocking China’s brightest new star, world No. 3 Wang Lin 12-21, 21-18, 21-9. The victory, which was sweet revenge after losing to Lin in the Singapore Open just a few days earlier, marked the finest moment for Indian badminton since Gopichand won the All England title in 2001. Saina now acknowledges that “the anxiety to win led to mistakes” and her defeat in the Beijing Olympics singles. Saina’s maiden Super Series triumph in the Indonesian Open was a defining moment in many ways. She stunned two top Chinese players — former world No. 2 and seventh seed Lu Lan and 2007 junior world champion Wang Lin in the semi-finals and final, respectively while breaking her jinx against the girls from the Orient. The win now pits her as the one big threat to Chinese monopoly, a status enjoyed by Prakash Padukone throughout his career. After her return from the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold where she lost to Chinese qualifier Xin Wang in the quarter-finals, Saina said she wished to be “among the top five by the end of this year.” Her immediate target is the World Championship in Hyderabad in August, followed by tournaments in Chinese Taipei and Macau. And then of course, her dream to be world No. 1. “That will be difficult, but not impossible,” says Saina. World No. 1 Zhou Mi (a former Chinese international now playing for Hong Kong), world No. 2 Tine Rasmussen of Denmark, world No. 6 Hongyan Pi (a Chinese-born French player) and Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia are the only players who have breached the ‘Great Wall of China’. Rasmussen is in her late 20s, while Zhou Mi, Wang Chen of Hong Kong and Hongyan are on the wrong side of 30 and Choo has had recurring knee problems. In sum, then, Saina could be the lead player in taking on China, in the next decade. Coach’s take Pullela Gopichand says the Indonesian Open triumph will help Saina believe that she can now win big tournaments. “It will help her perform better in the World Championship. No matter what she achieves after this, she’ll be viewed differently — as a genuine top player from now on. Her mental toughness comes from a strong desire to win. She has it in her to be the best in the world. She should be more consistent and keep winning big tournaments. It is important now to have patience and give her time so that she can come up with some more stunning performances.”
Sir, How is she now? I think still there may be some physical weakness due to Chicken-Pox. Are the doctors giving any suggestions regarding participation in coming international tournament? We want our Badminton IKON to be fit and healthy at first instead of the trophy... Plz. tell her that me, one of her fans and elder brothers, is praying for her good health in this festival of Rakhsha-Bandhan. Saina, Get Well Soon!
Saina Nehwal returned to practice on Monday 03-Aug-2009 to prepare for the WC . Saina Nehwal returned to practice on Monday 03-Aug-2009 to prepare for the 2009 World Championships. Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Fit-again-Saina-returns-to-practice/497701 Shivani Naik Tuesday 04-Aug-2009 Mumbai For all the challenges that Saina Nehwal has managed to brave on a badminton court, returning from a bout of mild chicken pox with a world championship only a week away is an altogether different proposition. As Nehwal returned to practice on Monday at coach P Gopichand’s academy after having given the irritation a week to subside, she spoke of the mental fortitude that sets her apart. “I know sportspersons who, in a similar situation, would have given up, lost hope. But I’m mentally very strong and was always prepared to go back on court and give my best. I never gave not playing a thought,” she said after training for an hour on Monday and sounding unperturbed about the lost time. “It felt good to come back, in fact I really enjoyed it out there. It’ll take two-three days to get my rhythm back, but I’m feeling alright now, and there’s no problem. Today I didn’t feel exhausted,” she said. .
It is really nice to hear this that She is back to court again. Thanks for the info, chris@ccc. Best of Luck to Saina! Good Luck to Us --- Indian Badminton Freaks.
India's badminton player Saina Nehwal (R) receives the "Arjuna" award from India's President Pratibha Patil (L) during the sports and adventure awards ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi August 29, 2009. Nehwal was conferred the award for her achievements in the field of badminton. REUTERS/B Mathur (INDIA SPORT BADMINTON SOCIETY)
^^Is the Arjuna Award akin..^^ ..to say the Datukship, but more in the athletic field??..Should we call her now Arjun Saina Nehwal??.. * I heard the recipient will receive a cash prize of abt Rs. 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll. ** A few notable previous Arjuna Award winners in badminton were Chetan Anand, Gopichand Pullela, Aparna Popat, Anup Shridnar & Prakash Padukone
oh no, i hope it's not a jinx. Isn't it the performance record of the above recipents declined after receiving their award?
so now, anyone wants to debate on this saina's arjuna(a.k.a Datukship) award? lol, anyway, we should call her arjuna saina nehwal now
Saina named sportsperson of the year by Sports magazine http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ar-by-Sports-magazine/articleshow/5348175.cms congrates to her is time to renew this thread
Saina is a breath of fresh air in badminton: Taufik http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...r-in-badminton-Taufik/articleshow/5356671.cms "Saina is like a breath of fresh air in women's singles which has been dominated by the Chinese and coach Gopichand has been a great guide for her. I feel with Gopichand around, Saina will get the best tips and guidance which will help her perform and prolong her life in the court," Taufik said.
