Saina confident of a strong comeback at World Championship

Image
Press Trust of India Noida
Last Updated : Jul 12 2013 | 4:20 PM IST
Saina Nehwal today revealed that there was "doubt" in her mind during her campaign at the Southeast Asian circuit last month but said the much-needed six-week break will help her to regain fitness and come back strongly at the World Championship next month.
The world number three has been going through a lean patch for the last nine months as she has failed to win a single tournament.
In the last three tournaments -- Thailand Open, Indonesia Open and Singapore Open -- Saina had failed to go beyond the semifinals, but it doesn't seem to concern her much as she believes she can still win titles.
"It doesn't concern me that much because I know if I'm at my best I can win again. I was not happy with what was happening with me. Some small injuries can irritate you. You can't be at your best when you are injured. When you are tapping your knee. There were doubts in my mind," Saina told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of IBL's school program initiative -- shuttle express here.
"These were doubts like if I can train, if I can give 100 per cent. So good that I'm taking physiotherapy now. I m taking good note and not thinking about what happened and giving my best again.
"I got this six weeks break after a long time. I was not happy with my fitness. I needed that break but when I got that break my toe got fractured. At the starting of the year, I had a knee injury but now I am okay and hopefully should come up with good performance in the World championship," she added.
The Olympic bronze medallist was also excited about the Indian Badminton League, starting from August 14-31.
"This is a great initiative by IBL to promote the sport. Everyone was playing well today. It's good to see interest growing in badminton, even in school there is improvement. We wanted this things to happen. I can see sporting facilities here, these things should happen in all school across India," said Saina, who gave lessons to the badminton enthusiasts during a clinic organised at Genesis Global school here.
"When I was studying we just had a big ground. We used to play everything there. Now it is easier for kids to pick up sports because of better facilities," she added.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 12 2013 | 4:20 PM IST

Next Story