Olympics will be tougher than other events: Saina Nehwal
The Indonesian Open Super Series win is just the boost India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal needs before the London Olympics that starts July 27.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: June 19, 2012 01:27 PM IST
The Indonesian Open Super Series win is just the boost India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal needs before the London Olympics that starts July 27.
Saina defeated world number four Shixian Wang (in quarter-finals) and world number three Xuerui Li (in final), both from China, en route to her Indonesia Open title, and the Indian exuded confidence of doing well in the London Games.
"I am happy that I did well against the Chinese in these tournaments. The Chinese are tough players and they fight for each and every point. It is not easy to beat them but a medal in the Olympics is not impossible," she said.
The fifth seed, who had won the Thailand Open last week, defeated Li 13-21 22-20 21-19 in an hour and four minutes to lift her third title of the year. She had won Thailand Open on June 10 and Swiss Open in March.
"I really needed to prepare hard before the Olympics and the two wins (in Bangkok and Jakarta) are a big boost for me. I am very happy to win the Indonesia Open for the third time," she said during a felicitation function organised by the Andhra Pradesh Sports Ministry at the Pullela Gopichand Academy. She however mentioned that the quarterfinal was like a final for her and she was lucky to win it.
When asked about her preparations for the Olympics, Saina said it is going to be tough five-six weeks of training. "I need to work on some areas. It will be some tough five-six weeks for me. It's important for me to be in good shape for the Olympics."
Asked about the pressure of expectations in Olympics, Saina said, "Olympics is Olympics and pressure will always be there. So, I don't want to think about it."
Saina also refused to give much importance to world rankings, saying that winning titles is what matters for her.
"Rankings hardly matter to me. I know if I play well, I will be number one someday. Winning tournaments matters for me," the Hyderabadi insisted.
In 2008 Beijing Games, she had become the first Indian woman to make it to the quarterfinal of the Olympics in the singles event.
Speaking about the long matches that she played in Indonesia, Saina said: "I was dead on the court after such long matches. I am happy to pull off such matches. It will be tougher in Olympics. I will have to work really hard."
"I can't believe I played such long matches. I am happy to recover well for the final match. It was really nice. All opponents were tough," she added.
Saina, who has won three titles in Indonesia, said she feels like a champion whenever she enters the court in Indonesia. "I feel like a champion when I enter the court in Indonesia. 7000 people cheer for me even when I play against an Indonesian," she said.
Saina also thanked her coaches and co-players for their constant support and said that "badminton will soon become one of the best sports in India."