I am not splitting with Gopichand: Saina Nehwal

After a disappointing India Open show, Saina Nehwal ended up as runner-up in the Malaysian Open GP Gold. She tells DNA that the competition nowadays is only between "Saina and China".
 
There are reports of you splitting with your long-time mentor and coach P Gopichand?
It is untrue. I am not splitting with him.

How do you look back at the disappointment of making early exit in India Open?
It is very difficult to play at home, especially as there are a lot of expectations and that was one of the reasons I lost. But I didn't lose confidence and I knew why I lost. I was not unfit, but was just nervous. There's no pressure when you play outside the country.

But I didn't like the criticism I got for that. I have been consistent in my career and suddenly if one tournament I didn't win, people started saying I am not a good player.
 
How do you cope up with that?
I feel bad. People write me off when I lose and when I win, they start praising me again. But the performance at Malaysian GP was for them who wrote me off. Next time they better watch me throughout the year and then say something.
 
In the Malaysian GP final, you were up one game but...
I was very good in that game. But the fact was that I was playing a Chinese after 4 months. I was coming back from an injury and to get that top game back against a top Chinese player was difficult. In the third game I brought level at 14-14, but I made silly mistakes by hitting the shuttle out on crucial points and easy strokes.
 
Is your ankle still strapped?
I am doing well now, pretty much Ok. It isn't totally gone and I am playing with a tape. I still need the confidence to play without it, it still pinches. It irritates to know that you are playing with a tape.
 
How long are you going to play with the strap?
I need rest to overcome the injury completely. I don't have that much time. I am playing Sudirman Cup starting on 22nd, then Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia so no rest for me as such. I hope after Indonesia I get some rest and get relieved from the injury completely.
 
Does being the only top-5 player from the country play extra pressure on your mind?
It is sad that there aren't many at the top level. From China, there are 5-6 players in both men and women in top-10. Then how can people compare me to the Chinese as I am the only one to fight them. With them, if one loses, the other one comes and wins. But here if I lose, the story is over. So there is always that extra pressure.
 
So you think the buildup to Olympics is good?
It is not compulsory to win every tournament. But I don't want to lose any that I play. This year the competition will be very tough since the Olympics are coming up in a year’s time so every top player will be playing big-ticket tournaments. I just want to be consistent and beat some top players. I am not worried about my results, but want to stay fit and beat top Chinese leading to Olympics. Apart from me only the Chinese are winning. So it's going to be very tough. There is hardly anything to choose from. It is either Saina or China, to some extent.