New Delhi: For Saina Nehwal, the memories of her Uber Cup appearances are fresh in the mind. She has been a regular member of the team since 2004, and said that this is the “strongest team ever” the hosts will be fielding at the prestigious meet, due to get under way here on Sunday.
The top-ranked shuttler has every reason to say that as P.V. Sindhu is in peak form, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa have resumed their successful doubles partnership with bronze medals at the recent Asian Badminton Championships.
“This time, the team is more confident. We were not that strong before. In singles also, we had only one player, never had two three good players. Right now as a team we are strong. I can only say that my job will be to win my, Uber Cufirst singles and give them confidence,” said Saina, who was named the captain of the Indian team for the Uber cup, on Wednesday.
Saina, by virtue of her eighth world ranking will play the first singles, Sindhu, currently ranked 11th, be the second singles player. I know there are a lot of expectations from us. I hope we perform better this time. The team is playing well and we gave good performances at the ABC.
“The first singles will make a lot of difference to the tie. I hope we are able to win the two singles, me and Sindhu, and Jwala and Ashwini’s doubles. These three matches will be crucial for our fortunes,” said the 24-year-old.
Saina, who missed the Asian Badminton Championships to recover and train for the event, emphasised that “momentum” was the key for success in team championships. The Thomas and Uber Cups comprise three singles and two doubles, with two teams qualifying from each of the four groups.
