"I am happy to regain my position as number two in the world ranking. After All England, I knew I will become the number two this week. I will work hard and try to become the world number one soon," Saina said.
My calculation is still on track. No matter how SN does, CM must reach the Final at India Open to overtake SN. If CM wins IO, SN must reach the final at India Open as well. Otherwise, a semi-finals appearance is sufficient for SN to become No. 1.
if we look at the indian open draw, saina still has got an easier half then carolina on paper, i really don't see liu xin, yip pui yin and pai yu po posing a serious threat to saina provided saina is fully fit whereas marin still has to face okuhara, ratchanok and mitani if she wan't to reach the final. so saina's probability of reaching the final is more then carolina's as both okuhara and ratchanok are very much capable of posing a legitimate threat to marin, can't say the same about mitani though. will be interesting to see how both saina and marin will fare in this event.
Even if only for a week, it would be a significant symbolic landmark for Indian badminton to see Saina at no.1. Good luck to her!
My own assessment of the draw will be like this - barring a big upset saina should reach at least the semis and carolina should reach at least the quarters. In the semis Saina's most likely opponent will be either Kim Hyo Min or Liu Xin - tough, but I expect Saina to cross the hurdle. In case of Carolina the likely opponents are - I guess it will be Nozomi in quarters and Ratchanok in semis. You have to say it looks tougher for Carolina on paper at least. Last time Nozomi beat Carolina and I don't remember when ratchanok last faced carolina. So, I have no complains about the draw, I just hope Saina stays fit and injury free, and plays her best. By the way I came across a spanish article(sorry I forgot to save the link). I tried to translate it via google translations. The translation is pretty awful of course, but one part caught my attention- CM asked about her mental toughness secret the answer (via google translator) was- I think that mental strength, besides think it's a little cream, is also thanks to the work I do for three years with my psychologist, Pablo del Río. I'm thrilled that I've gone from not knowing what was a psychologist who now is an essential part of my way to compete. It makes me win many big games and so my mental strength is one of my most important when playing a game conditions. So Carolina does have a personal psychologist and she rates him as important. I didn't understand the cream part though. I am not suggesting Saina should have a mental trainer. In fact, I think psychology is a pseudoscience for the most part anyway. I only mentioned this because we were discussing mental strength earlier. But I find it Interesting that Carolina has had a mental trainer for years now. Personally, I thought I saw a calmer Saina at the AE, except for the finals, and she should just get back that calmness in her future matches. If she can do it by herself, that's fair enough. The rest of the articles was the usual stuff. It seems Carolina is slowly gaining superstar status in Spain. Apparently, one woman has said to CM that she will make her son play badminton only because of Carolina. The article also constantly refered to carolina as "The Empress"- well who can blame them after CM's recent success in big tournaments. Another topic was similarity in the way she won her World championship and All England Title. In both cases she lost the first set and trailed in the second before her comeback. Marin said that the difference was that no one knew her in world championships, so she just enjoyed herself, but in England she was there to prove that she was not a fluke.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...est-for-more-success/articleshow/46571837.cms EXCERPTS: "Yes, always be cool and cautious. Do not aspire for higher gains and lose the concentration to get the results," she said. "Yes, fact is the same (bad luck despite a good performance). But, many a times reality is not achieved once lot of expectations are at stake. I did my best but the game fizzled out of my grip. I had defeated Carolina thrice earlier at a very high level. That day actually belonged to her," she said "I am trying my best under the guidance of Vimal (Kumar) sir to do the best in coming India open," she said. "I am highly thankful to the respected Narendra Modi sir, our beloved PM, for the nice comments and encouragement to me. I am also thankful to CM KCR sir (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) for his encouragement to me on this occasion," she said
Looks like Saina is injured..don't know how serious it is.. https://twitter.com/NSaina/status/578492912339566592
yeah, saw the same post on her facebook page as well. .not a good news at all, she needs to be at her physical best to go all the way at the indian open ss and probably become world number one. hope she recovers on time.
It is better for her to skip the Indian Open if she has any form of discomfort. Olympic is far more important.
This is bad news. But it seems that the injury is nothing serious. At least Saina has said so. Hopefully, she will have no trouble competing in IOSS and MOSSP. Anyway, I know I am late, but happy belated birthday Saina.
http://bwfworldsuperseries.com/2015/03/23/nehwal-inspires-young-prospects/ Excerpts: Indian badminton queen Saina Nehwal made it a memorable evening for a few hundred children and their parents at a promotional event in New Delhi today. Nehwal was the star attraction at the event, meant to felicitate finalists of the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship. It was an occasion in which she turned slightly sentimental, recalling the challenges she had conquered, and she used her own example to try to inspire those who were just beginning their badminton journey. “I have seen badminton grow a lot in India over the last few years,” Nehwal said. “A lot of children come to me and say they want to be like me. It feels good, of course. I would say: have your role models, but be yourself, not Saina Nehwal. “It’s important to dream. There will be a lot of hard work ahead. Mom said I’d win an Olympic medal one day. She believed in me and it came true due to all the hard work. So you need to keep the faith… I’m not a special talent; I’m just a hard worker.” “Through MetLife’s global partnership with Badminton World Federation, we have the opportunity to make badminton a fun and family sport,” Chugh said. Nehwal later spent time with a few children on court, hitting the shuttle with them and suggesting a few tips. The popularity of the Indian star was evident, with throngs of children and their parents clicking selfies with her and vying for her autograph.
When asked SN, about possibly being the #1 next week she said: “I want to be the best,” stated 25-year-old Nehwal, already a seasoned campaigner in the sport. “It’s not about the ranking; it’s about being consistent. Li Xuerui is injured. You can’t ignore the fact that she’s the best player in the world, but she’s been injured over the last few months. When she comes back she will be strong. The Chinese will come back and they will be ready for us.” source: http://www.bwfbadminton.org/news_item.aspx?id=94057 People who call her arrogant should see this. I am not defending her, but I think people tend to overlook these kinds of statements from her (because they are not controversial, I guess).
very well put up, this is a must read article for some members here who are always eagerly waiting to discount saina's achievements etc. rajat i think you need to post this to the indian open semi finals thread as well.
Sania Nehwal becoming #1 is a joke. I guess Carolina Marin is happy winning the WC and All England and stay at #2
