Saina Nehwal was Under Pressure to Win: Father
Saina Nehwal battled hard but failed to get past the defending champion, who clinched the match 21-16, 21-19.
Harvir Singh feels the pressure of winning the World Badminton Championships got to his daughter Saina Nehwal as she lost the women's singles final in straight games to Spain's Carolina Marin in Jakarta on Sunday.
The World No.2 Indian battled hard but failed to get past the defending champion, who clinched the match 21-16, 21-19. (Match report | Highlights)
"I believe it was a psychological factor, she might have lost her concentration thinking she had to win," Harvir told a news channel. (Also read: Kumble, Jwala congratulate Saina for silver medal)
However, he said Saina would come back stronger as there is still a lot of badminton left in her.
"It's marvellous (Saina winning the silver). Saina tried her best but Marin is a little stronger. There is still a lot of badminton left in Saina and she will surely come back stronger. She needs to learn more skills and stay fit," he said.
In the final, Carolina took just a minute less than an hour to beat Saina at the 9,000-seater Istora Senayan. This was the World No.1 Spaniard's second consecutive win over Saina in five career meetings.