Saina Nehwal Withdraws From Singapore Open, Not Upset at Losing World No. 1 Ranking

A tired Saina Nehwal has pulled out of this week's Singapore Open where she was the top seed. This means she has lost an opportunity to regain her world No. 1 ranking that she lost in Malaysia last week. But then Saina is not worried about rankings.

"I am just too tired to play in Singapore. Playing back-to-back tournaments have taken a lot out of me. So it is tough to play three tournaments at a stretch," Saina told NDTV.com.

Saina won the Indian Open and lost in the semifinals in Kuala Lumpur. "I had some really tough matches. I will next play the Asian Badminton Championship in China (from April 21-26)," she said.

With PV Sindhu also not playing due to an injury, unseeded PC Thulasi will be the lone Indian in the women's singles draw in Singapore Open qualifiers that started today.

Saina sounds a more determined player after losing in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open last week in Kuala Lumpur. Not because she lost her world No. 1 ranking to a Chinese player but because she consistently wants to breach the Chinese wall over and over again.

Saina went down to Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the Malaysia Open semis in three tough games. The Chinese top seed however lost to All England champion Carolina Marin in the final. Li is also missing the Singapore Open. She was nursing a troublesome knee during the Malaysia Open.

Defeat meant Saina enjoyed the world No. 1 ranking for only three days - she had become No. 1 during the Indian Open in Delhi on March 29. It was a close contest with Li and in a match that had little margin for error, two line calls seem to upset Saina. Li has a 9-2 win-loss record against the Indian ace.

"I was almost beating her. But two calls went against me in the last game. I would have defeated her if those calls were not taken.

"I was 19-18 up in the third game and my smash (which was called incorrect) was right, and I would have been 20-18. But the umpire overruled. And I couldn't do anything after the match was over and she was declared the winner," Saina told the Times of India.

Rankings don't matter for top players. The top five players can beat each other on any given day and that's what Saina believes too. Her coach Vimal Kumar insists that rankings are nothing but numbers. "I want her to win an All England or a world championship," Vimal Kumar said in a recent interview.

Saina's thought process is on similar lines.

"Rankings hardly matter. What is important is I have been playing consistently. I want to keep it going. I got to the No. 1 spot after a lot of hard work and good performances on court.

"So, I don't want to be sitting and feeling bad thinking I am no longer world No. 1. Instead, I am happy that I am able to beat top class Chinese players. And if I keep playing well, it's possible that I will become No. 1 again."