Badminton Queen of India Saina Nehwal (22 page)

– Saina Nehwal

4
. “Badminton is like ballet dancing. It requires a lot of control, strength, mind play and measured movement.”

– Film star Aamir Khan
(also, a good badminton player)

5.
“Badminton is a great way to de-stress and chill out after a hard day’s work.”

– Film star Aamir Khan
(also, a good badminton player)

6.
“When I am playing badminton there are only two people in the world, myself and my opponent.”

– Erland Kops, former badminton
champion from Denmark

7.
“I was mesmerized. Until then my game was mostly defensive but after I saw him play, I became more of an attacking player.”

– Prakash Padukone talking about Indonesian
badminton legend Rudy Hartono

8.
“I would say that it is the explosiveness that I possess in my game. Like a crouching tiger waiting to pounce on it preys.”

– World No.1 Lee Chong Wei

9.
“I played my 100 percent today. This is the biggest team competition in the world. I’m determined to do my best to defend the Cup.”

– Zhang Ning

10.
“I think it’s a match at top level, and both of us have displayed our quality.”

– Xie Xingfang

11.
“I’m confident to win, I always have the confidence whenever I go into a tournament.”

– Zhang Ning

12.
“One of the most important qualities required for success at the Olympics is the unflinching confidence in one’s own ability. Only those who are mentally very strong emerge victorious.”

– Prakash Padukone

13.
“Indian players have done well in the last couple of years but they need to be more consistent with the results. They need to stabilise more. They are young and will take sometime to adjust to the top level.”

– Pullela Gopichand

14.
“I’ve always trained hard – perhaps too hard, too – but it’s been worth it. Badminton has given me incredibly much. I have put it this way: Badminton is life and life is badminton.”

– Peter Rasmussen, a Danish badminton player

15.
“In badminton, they use a lot from the wrist. But I use a lot from the shoulder.”

– Li Na, Chinese professional tennis player

16.
“When badminton was accepted into the Barcelona Olympic Games it showed that there was an acceptance of my sport internationally.”

– Rhonda Cator, retired female badminton player from Australia

17.
“I hope the BWF (Badminton World Federation) will seriously do something about the Olympic qualifying format or risk getting badminton dropped from the Games.”

– Taufik Hidayat, Indonesian badminton player

18.
“Coming in as a veteran, I’d like to finish with a gold medal.”

– Howard Bach, Vietnamese – American
male badminton player

19.
“The art of badminton is to deceive.”

–
Sir George Thomas, Quoted in
The Guinness Book of Badminton (1983)

20.
“I’ve always been real excited for them to be in badminton. I’m hoping that they can play this game and develop skills like we used to have when we were younger. I feel that they have a good shot at getting into and winning the junior championships and maybe someday even representing the U.S. in the Olympic Games.”

– Gary Grant, retired American
professional basketball player

21.
“Badminton is a fast game and the review system is not going to be easy. We would need to see if it works out or not. Some decisions go in favour of us, some don’t, and I hope the review system helps us.”

– Saina Nehwal

22.
“The popularity of badminton is surging and it’s important for any sport to attract the youth and masses.”

– Saina Nehwal

23.
“It’s great for the sport, Badminton is all about the hype, pressure and atmosphere, if you can’t perform in that situation then Badminton is not for you as a competitor, so the more the merrier.”

–
Jonathan Paget, badminton player from New Zealand

24.
“We’ve gotten off to a slow start, but it’s been good. We have learned to improvise, like with the badminton net.”

–
Amy Lambert

25.
“In Japan, for example, 10 million people play badminton. Annually, one might need 12 shuttles per person.”

– Herman Moens

26.
“We are thrilled to have Wilson participate in this prestigious event. The Boston Open is recognized in badminton for its top player draw and high quality competition, and represents a great opportunity for Wilson to expand its reach in the sport.”

– Arthur Schwartz

27.
“The PBSI (Indonesian Badminton Association) have to work harder to widen the pool and find quality players. The present indifferent culture has to change.”

– Taufik Hidayat

28.
“The Chinese players are really very good. They are top players, but it is not that they are invincible. The players who perform well on a given day win the matches.”

– Shuttler P. V. Sindhu

Saina and Her Lucky Courts

As a dedicated badminton player, Siana Nehwal loves the courts she plays in. Each court has etched memories in her heart. But is there a court that is close to Saina’s heart? Is she biased towards a specific court and considers it a lucky mascot for her? Well, like any player, Saina has her favourites too.

Saina Nehwal at
Indonesian Courther

The hardcore badminton player feels that the Indonesian courts are lucky for her. She is in love with Indonesia. Many a times, she has agreed that it is very tough to beat the Chinese. Regardless of whether it is the London Olympics or any other major championshop, Saina feels that beating Chinese players can be nerve breaking and she needs a lot more than dedication to the sport to do that.

After defeating the Chinese World No. 4 Shixian Wang in the quarter-finals and her World No. 3 compatriot Li Xuerui to win the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier in the year 2010, Saina admitted that the Indonesian courts have been really lucky for her even when it comes to beating the invincible Chinese players.

Her prepaprations are always tough and after wining a game, Saina’s major focus is always on how to win the forthcoming championships. She doesn’t have the time to rejoice her victory.

Even after returning home from Jakarta to a warm welcome from her family, friends and well-wishers couldn’t let her rest. She knew it would be really tough for her at the London Games. Also, her major emphasis is always on being super fit for each game and stay injury free before the Olympics. The champion believes that it is crucial to be mentally in good shape for each game that she plays.

Saina Nehwal is congratulated by her coach Atik Jauhari after winning the women’s finals of the Djarum Indonesia Open Super Series 2010 badminton tournament in Jakarta on June 27, 2010.

Talking about her love for Indonesia, Saina Nehwal has always admitted that she feels like a champion the moment she enter Indonesian courts. The player is not actually aware of the reason behind her confidence for Indonesian courts. However, she knows that atmosphere there is nice. The fact that right from the first day there are about 7,000 spectators cheering for her even if I am playing Indonesian player enthrals her. Their support means a lot for her as a devoted player.

The crowd support is amazing and atmosphere is fervent in Indonesia. The player admits that she really enjoys at the Indonesian courts. Jakarta is her favourite place as she had won many tournaments there. No wonder, she feels that the courts are lucky for her.

The courts at Indonesia are capable of developing a feeling of positivity around her. She feels enthusiastic about each game played and the support of people there makes her feel special.

Future Plans of Saina Nehwal

Everyone has future plans. Being a sports star doesn’t make a difference. Saina Nehwal hopes to climb higher in the rankings. Saina Nehwal approaches life and sport in a very business-like fashion. She walks really fast and talks to the point and trains like a maniac. Now, when asked about life outside the sport, Saina doesn’t have any. In fact, she has to think and re-think about the question to find out an answer and finally, the answer is that she has none. She just looks forward to new kinds of training and its variations.

None of her tournaments and championships are celebrated in a grand way. In fact, soon after winning the bronze at the London Olympics, Saina allowed herself the rarest of rare luxuries in her life – she took a break. Siana relished laddoos and parathas. The Olympic winner also functions to celebrate her medal. She also celebrated the way she never had before.

So, how did the celebrations go? Well, the badminton star attended many functions celebrated her victory primarily her country’s victory. Since, it was her first ever badminton medal for the nation country, her motive was to enjoy it with them. Saina in one of her exclusive interviews after winning the French Open quarter-finals said that she realises without the support of her family, coaches and fans, things wouldn’t have been possible.

“Without them egging me on I wouldn’t have been so successful,” said ace badminton champion.

After winning the Denmark Open, (the first tournament after the break), Saina showed that being away from the sport for sometime allowed her to recharge her batteries. According to Saina, it is very important to take a break.

Since, the game has increased its pace, players face a tough time. Their body demands rest especially legs. Saina admits that out schedules are tough and the stars require playing around 16-17 tournaments in a year. One, also needs to take out time for training. This is important to merge back strongly in the upcoming tournament. The players get really tired after the tournament and their legs and hands get taped. This is not easy.

For Saina, the French Open has not been an easy ride. After beating out her 17-year-old Thai opponent Ratchanok Intanon 22-20, 22-20 in two tough games, she managed to pull out matches. It was quite tough for her. But the matches are like that. She needs to be mentally tough. This is what makes her a true Indian star.