Saina Nehwal itching to return to full fitness

Saina Nehwal was the first true superstar woman athlete that badminton produced in India. And deservedly so. But recent events, both good and bad, have taken that sheen off her stardom. And Saina is aware of that.

PV Sindhu’s meteoric rise, coupled with her own injuries and loss of form, have pushed Saina to the second row – at least in terms of celebrity status. It can be good for her. Staying away from limelight has its own benefits and Saina, who has seen so much of it, shouldn’t mind.

“Good thing is there is no expectation. When I started there was less expectation and now also there is less pressure, which is good,” she said in acknowledgement. Saina, 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, is slowly inching back to full fitness after a knee injury she suffered right before Rio Olympics that has affected her career. Since undergoing surgery in August, she has shown good improvement – having won Malaysia Masters in January.

“I never knew what surgery was,” Saina said on the eve of the India Open. “…but after I went through it, I realised how tough returning from it can be. You lose movements and touch and to get back to your full fitness is extremely tough.

“It takes more time than usual, you can’t straight away recover and win. It is not only physical but mental too. Even now there is always this tension and fear that what if I get injured again. “Even in All England that match I lost, it was 50-50, it could have gone anywhere. So, I know I will be back to my best form with time.”

It’s always good to see youngsters building on the base provided by seniors but Saina hasn’t run her full course yet. She still has a lot to contribute and her returning to fitness and form will be good news for Indian badminton.

INDIA OPEN BEGINS TODAY
India Open, which gets underway with the qualifiers at the Siri Fort Sports Complex today, offers that opportunity to Saina – she became world No. 1 after winning the same tournament two years back. Rio Olympics silver-medallist Sindhu is also in the fray and will look to continue her good run. Provided Saina and Sindhu manage to topple their opponents in the first two rounds, the two are likely to bump into each other in the quarterfinals on Friday. There are several other big names participating in the tournament, including Olympic champion Carolina Marin and Ratchanok Intanon.