With the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, there are few accolades left for Saina Nehwal to win in India. Already an Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee, Saina talks to DNA on the challenges ahead.
Reactions on being awarded the Khel Ratna.
It’s unbelievable…National awards motivate you to achieve bigger things for the country.
How are you able to deal with public attention and keep your mind on the game?
The time for public functions is over. I had allotted some time for that. From now, I will stop travelling to attend events...Now it’s only about training and preparing for the Worlds.
How are you going about preparing for the Worlds?
We’re focussing on on-court training now. We’re going to work on everything, with a little more emphasis on defence. I know all the top players now, so I know what to expect.
Is there lesser pressure challenging for an event, rather than defending one?
It’s tougher to defend a title, because there’s more pressure. Having said that, when I went to the Indonesian Open this year, I had already won two major titles, and I would not have worried had I lost early. So I didn’t think too much about the title.
Would you give some credit to the system here, or are you self-made?
Nobody can be self-made. Obviously, there is a system in place — you get guidance from coaches, help from fellow-players, and so on. I don’t know much about systems abroad, because I haven’t been to many camps. I think the coaching system here is as good as anywhere in the world. The big difference is in the number of coaches. Here you have just a handful of top-level coaches and a few academies, whereas in China you have hundreds of coaches. Most of them are former champions, so the level of training will be high.
Do you see Commonwealth Games as a turning point for sports in India?
It’s good to have such big events, because people will get to see you in action against the top players. We’ve already hosted a few big tournaments, such as the World and Asian Championships. Next year the India Open will become a Super Series event. It will be good if all the metros get to host tournaments.
Are you seeing a change in the attitude of people to sports other than cricket?
Yes, of course. It was only about performance. We needed more sporting successes in other (non-cricket) sports. I can see small kids, especially little girls, taking up the game. They approach me for autographs and all that. I can see a lot of kids turning up at the academy.
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