Former international player said that doing well in the team event will help Saina perform well in singles
Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal listening intently to former badminton champion Vimal Kumar during a practice session in Bengaluru
New Delhi: Following a two-week coaching stint at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru, Saina Nehwal is all fired up to lead a strong Indian badminton squad in their quest to break a 28-year medal drought at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.Former international U. Vimal Kumar, under whom Saina underwent a short training stint before leaving for the Asiad, said, “She is very positive and in the right frame of mind. She is looking forward to play all the top-ranked shuttlers, including the Chinese juggernaut, with confidence now.”
Saina landed up to train under Vimal after her quarter-final exit from the World Championships in Copenhagen. The Indian ace has been struggling with form and fitness for quite sometime and even pulled out of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to stay fit for the Worlds and the Asiad.Asked about the details of the stint, Vimal said it was more about analysing Saina’s game closely. “She needed a change in her training methods to return to winning ways.
“In the recent past, Saina has been losing to players like Chinese World No.1 Li Xuerei, besides a few good Japanese or Chinese Taipei players. She had a lot of negative results in the last few events. So, all of us, including Prakash, analysed her game. The sessions were more about assessment. We also tried to give her confidence,” the Olympian told this paper before the team’s departure for Incheon.
“The team championships will be crucial for Saina. If she is able to play well there, she can go into the individual event with all the confidence,” said Vimal, who will be one of the four coaches besides Pullela Gopichand in Incheon.Meanwhile, Gopichand was hopeful of a medal from golden girls Saina and P.V. Sindhu.
“Definitely, our best bet are Saina and Sindhu. Saina has trained hard and regained her confidence, while Sindhu is at her peak. I am expecting a medal at least from them,” said the coach. Gopichand’s expectations are not completely unrealistic after Parupalli Kashyap’s gold at the CWG and Sindhu’s second consecutive bronze at the Worlds.
Next Story
