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Saina Nehwal for Denmark return

Coach Gopichand says tournaments in China and Japan in the next two weeks will give youngsters exposure.

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After being felicitated across the country for being the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympics medal, Saina Nehwal is back to training at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

Coach Gopichand told DNA from Hyderabad that Nehwal will return at the Yonex Denmark Open to be played in Odense V between October 16 and 21. It was thought Saina would return to action at the Yonex Open Japan in Tokyo between September 18 and 23 after skipping the Li Ning China Masters in Changzhou from September 11-16.

However, Gopichand will coach a young Indian team for the two back-to-back tournaments in China and Japan, with the squad leaving on Saturday.

Among the five shuttlers who participated in the Olympics, only Ashwini Ponnappa and Parupalli Kashyap will be seen in action in both the tournaments. Gopichand believes the tourneys will give exposure to the younger lot. While Jwala Gutta has taken a break, V Diju is getting married next week and Saina will be back in action next month.

Gopichand said: “We have plans for the future and started our preparations. The players are raring to go. They haven’t played many tournaments. These matches will give us an idea on the players for the future.”

Kashyap said that he would be keen to maintain the form that he was in the Olympics. “To get better on that form would be fine. But, even maintaining the form would be good for me, and I would like to do the same right things that I did prior to the Games.”

Meanwhile, Ashwini will be playing only the mixed doubles in China and Japan, partnering Tarun Kona. “I am off to China and Japan this Saturday. I’ll be playing only mixed doubles there. Then, I’ll be back and will be playing nationals, again it’ll be only mixed doubles,” she said.

Ashwini, who partnered Jwala Gutta in London, had to drop women’s doubles for want of partners. “I’ll be trying with other girls and see how things go in women’s doubles,” she said.

Ashwini was hopeful that she would partner Jwala after the latter’s return from a self-imposed sabbatical. “You should see us playing women’s doubles,” Ashwini said when asked if the Jwala-Ashwini pair would be seen again on court. “We plan to continue playing. She has been very supportive and guides me on court. I’ve learnt a lot from her.” She said she was confident of a good start to the post-Olympics season.

On Jwala’s absence, Gopichand said: “We’ll take things as they come. There are Commonwealth Games 2014 and Asian Games 2014 to look forward to. We’ll get back to that later.”


 

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