Why India is so proud of Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to reach the finals of the World Badminton Championships. Before that there have been countless other firsts: winning the world junior championships, Super Series title and a medal at the Olympics - a bronze at London Games in 2012. She is also the second Indian shuttler since Prakash Padukone to be world number one in the sport. She won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, and led India to a bronze at the Uber Cup. Recently, she came close to becoming the first Indian woman to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. Nehwal has so many feathers in her cap that it is actually turned into a blooming crown.
The victory over Chinese player Wang Yihan in the quarter-finals on Friday was Saina overcoming a major mental block. Yihan had a 9-2 win-loss ratio over Nehwal. In addition to this, in five previous attempts, Nehwal had fallen at the quarter-final stage at the World Badminton Championships, always just one step shy from a bronze. Questions were being raised as PV Sindhu, her younger countrywoman, had managed to do what she had failed to – win a medal, not one but two, at the prestigious competition. There was a slip in form and accusations of not being in the best shape and lacking stamina, as evident by her slow movement around the court. So questions started to be raised about whether she had passed her prime. Was it game over Saina Nehwal?
Just when the detractors and doubters were most vocal, Nehwal took a decision that sent shockwaves in the sport. Last year, she announced that she was parting ways with Pullela Gopichand, the coach who was instrumental in making her India’s best female shuttler. It was a ballsy move, one which drew much criticism. The guru-shishya bond is a sacred one in India and Saina was breaking a partnership that had lasted over eight years and seen many highs. Was she being selfish? Was it overambitious on her part to think that moving from Hyderabad to Bangalore would turn her fortunes?
Defending herself over much furore, Nehwal said, “What’s wrong with my decision? What’s wrong if I want change? What’s wrong if I want to train under someone else? I don’t know the reason. I just want to see if this change - training under Vimal sir - helps me in any way.”
So she wanted a change, a necessary and an unavoidable part of life. The decision to switch coaches demonstrated a player recognising her game needed a new, different direction, fresher perspectives and more spirit. It was an athlete wanting to reinvent herself, acknowledging that her rivals were getting the best of her by cracking her game plan. It was time for a new formula. In came Vimal Kumar and the positives are apparent since September 2014.
In her semi-final victory, Saina didn’t even display her best game. A more disciplined and consistent player now, she committed far too many errors. This was more of a mental contest than physical one. Nehwal defeated Indonesian Lindaweni Fanetri in Jakarta in front of a partisan crowd. She overcame an opponent who was not physically fit, often caught holding her knee in agony and limping around the court, but who used the crowd to boost her morale. The victory demonstrated the emotional resilience of Nehwal. She is no longer crumbling in front of Chinese opponents too, against whom she had a poor showing earlier.
On Sunday, Nehwal has one last, big hurdle to overcome. She faces world number one, Carolina Marin, in a repeat of the All England Final, which Nehwal lost. Marin is a feisty player, one that can easily get on your nerves, given her tendency to scream and pump her fists to celebrate a point. More than that, she has a daunting fighting spirit, the ability to turn defence into offence and come up with clever, beautiful shots. It’s going to be a nail-biting contest in which Indian fans will hope that Nehwal prevails. One can rest assured that she will do her best to go one better. Irrespective of the result on Sunday, she is already a winner. Winning a silver medal at the second most important competition in the sport after the Olympics is no easy feat. But then Nehwal has made a habit of making the difficult look effortless.