Badminton Queen of India Saina Nehwal (13 page)

2009:

•   Won her first Badminton Super Series event, winning the gold medal in Indonesia Super Series

•   Reached the quarter-finals of the World Badminton Championships BWF

•   Saina won a tournament at home the importance of that year, winning the Grand Prix Open India

2010:

The year 2010 was the most successful year for Saina Nehwal in badminton terms of achievements. She won three back to back Super Series events this year.

•   Was a semi-finalist at the All-England Super Series, which is one of the badminton tournaments the most prestigious in the world

•   Won a bronze medal at Badminton Championships in Asia

•   Won the Grand Prix India Open Gold tournament

•   Winner at Singapore Super Series

•   Winner in Indonesia Super Series

•  Nehwal reached the quarter-finals of Championsips BWF World for the second consecutive year

•  Saina had a fantastic year filled with the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, in an intense match watched by thousands of Indian fans. Her gold held in India to reach the second position in the final medal tally, pushing England to the third position

•   Saina’s dream run in 2010 continued as she finished the year by winning the Hong Kong Super Series

2011:

•   Saina Nehwal won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold event

•   Finished runners-up at the Indonesia Open Super Series 2011 – the first badminton tournament

2012:

•   Saina Nehwal has successfully defended her Swiss Open title by defeating World No. 2 Wang Shixian 18th March 2012, a day after she turned 22

•   On June 10, 2012, Saina beat Thailand, Thailand to lift Open Grand Prix Gold title

•   On June 17, 2012, Saina Nehwal won the Indonesia Open Super Series, defeating World No. 3 China Li Xuerui

As Saina grew, her love and dedication for the game became stronger. With each year that passed by, Saina grew as a human being and as a badminton player too. Hope this incredibly talented player makes it big in the near future.

Saina Nehwal’s Daily Training
Schedule

It is no secret that Badminton is a very physically demanding game. It demands a great deal of strength and fitness to compete at the top international levels. In one of her interviews to ‘Times Wellness’, Saina Nehwal had talked about how she keeps fit. She had also shared some information about her rigorous training regimen and her diet for strength and endurance. The world champion and Olympic winner believe that physical fitness must be supported by mental strength and well-being.

Pullela Gopichand Nimmogodda Foundation Badminton Academy

Saina Nehwal’s daily fitness schedule when she is training for forthcoming tournaments:

•   Wake up - 6:00 a.m.

•   Breakfast - Her main meal

•   Rushes to Gopichand Academy (just 2 kms away from her house)

•   From 7-11 a.m. – Practices badminton skills

•   Reaches home and has lunch

•   Take a short nap

•   Return back to academy at 3:30 p.m.

•   On her way to the academy, she has a cup of tea

•   Practices for 3 hours till 7 p.m.

•   After practice – Has a glass of juice

•   Dinner

•   Relaxes by listening to Hindi film music or watching TV. She also likes to watch others play

•   Practice Yoga Nidra (a typical form of yoga meditation)

Physical Training

Saina has a personal gym at home. The gym is equipped with all the basic fitness equipment. She spends good amount of time on Yoga. She practices Yoga Nidra for relaxation morning and the evening.

Sponsorship and Endorsements

Saina Nehwal feels that it is difficult for a player to succeed without the support of sponsorships. In the year 2002, activities product Yonex provided to attract renowned Indian badminton star, Saina. The leading sports brand Yonex offered to sponsor Saina’s kit. Since, her positions enhanced, the sponsorships improved.

In the year of 2004, renowned BPCL (Bharat Oil Organization Limited) finalized the increasing celebrity. She is also one of the sportsmen reinforced by Olympic Silver Pursuit.

Saina is also sponsored by the Mittal Champions Trust, a foundation, the Indian steel baron Lakshmi Mittal started, to support promising young Indian players.

Brand value of Saina has moved up recently with her success. It has crossed 35-40 lakhs INR. Advertisement world believes that the brand value will reach to 1 crore soon. Saina has signed up a contract with IPL cricket team Deccan Chargers as their brand ambassador. It is said that over 12 multinational companies are waiting to sign the agreement with Saina .

The ace badminton player is associated with endorsements of the following brands:

Telecom Giant Airtel

The telecom giant Airtel Telecom signed on Saina Nehwal as a brand ambassador. At this point of time, Saina’s endorsement value reached the Rs 1 crore per deal mark.

Herbalife, a Health and Nutrition Company

Saina Nehwal endorsing
Herbalife products

Saina Nehwal as the
Ambassador of Top
Ramen Noodles

Saina Nehwal has been a sponsored sportsperson for Herbalife since 2009. Global nutrition company Herbalife renewed their brand endorsement partnership with the badminton champ in 2011.

Top Ramen Noodles, a division of Nissin Foods

Top Ramen re-launched its noodles range on 22nd April, 2011, with Badminton champion Saina Nehwal as the brand ambassador. Saina embodies the spirit of the new Top Ramen range, the noodles for champions.

Fortune Cooking Oil

Saina Nehwal with Pranav
Adnani, MD & Chairman of
Adani Wilmar Ltd.

Adani Wilmar, manufacturer and distributor of edible oils launched its new variant referred to as ‘Fortune Plus’, under the flagship brand Fortune in the year 2010. Fortune Plus was targeted at young and health-conscious Indians. The brand roped in ace badminton player, Saina Nehwal to endorse the product.

The Deccan Chronicle Newspaper

Saina Nehwal was signed for endorsing the leading newspaper. She was considered the best role model to endorse the newspaper.

Saina Nehwal is also known as ‘India’s golden girl’. This is because of the endorsement value she has gained in the past few years. She is also considered as the highest earning non-cricketing athlete.

The year 2012 was referred to as a standout year for this amazing badminton player. She won India’s first Olympic medal in badminton, the Indonesia Super Series, the Denmark Open, the Swiss Open and the Thailand Open, finishing the year ranked third in the world. Experts believe that Saina can play the role of a catalyst that propels badminton towards being India’s next commercial sport. They even feel that her consistent winnings can spearhead the Indian Badminton scenario and the sport can grow around her.

Saina’s blockbuster deal with sports management firm Rhiti Sports and other nine reputed endorsement deals cemented her place as one of India’s most marketable superstars. Undoubtedly, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is turning out to be a hot property in the celebrity endorsement market after a string of successes in the year 2010. Most notably the gold medal she secured in the concluded Commonwealth Games.

Telecom giant Airtel signed her on as a brand ambassador. This has shot Saina’s endorsement value to 1 crore INR per deal mark. According to H Manjula, Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures Media Coordinator, Saina is really in demand and many reputed companies wish to associate with her. The Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures handles Saina’s account.

As per a report by industry analysts, Saina charges around 50 lakh INR per endorsement. After the CWG win, the ace shuttler is now able to command 1 crore INR per deal. The higher rate is believed to be supported by Saina’s hat-trick of wins at the following events in the year 2010:

•    Indian Open

•    Singapore Open

•    Indonesia Open Super Series

Saina agrees that her popularity has enhanced her brand equity. According to the skilled badminton player, her fees have gone up after winning the titles. She is also very happy that there is demand being created for sportspersons other than cricketers.

According to her, the Airtel commercials will be shot after she returns from the Asian Games to be held in China from November 12. The deal with Airtel catapults Saina into the club of leading sports and Bollywood celebrities, including Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and A. R. Rahman, who are either associated with the brand or have been in the past.