Olympics 2012: Saina Nehwal aware of Chinese move

World No 5 Saina Nehwal is leaving no stone unturned in her preparation for the Olympics. Her recent wins in Thailand and Indonesia and successes against the Chinese has shaken the super powers of badminton to such an extent that they named in-form Li Xuerui, world No 3 three, in place of Asian Games gold medallist Wang Shixian in addition to the first two ranked players in the world, Wang Yihan and Wang Xin for women’s singles.
In her last appearance against Xuerui, the 22-year-old Indian finished with the right result in Indonesia.

In what would be her second Olympics appearance – Saina became the first Indian badminton player to enter the quarterfinals of the Games in Beijing 2008 – she is focussed on putting up a good show. She is aware about the Chinese changing their player at the last minute.

“We were aware that the Chinese will change the player (naming Xuerui in place of Shixian),” Saina said. “I have not seen the full list of entries yet. I am not surprised as you see the Chinese changed their players based on my wins in Thailand and Indonesia. It is a matter of pride for me. Let me do my best in Olympics.”

Saina said that she has been making the best use of her training sessions with coach Pullela Gopichand. “Now it is a do-or-die situation. No matter who plays or who doesn’t, my motto will be to do the best and show the best results. You also need luck and God’s grace after all the hard work I put in. Gopi sir is giving me best training and we (myself and others in the team) are trying to learn each and every point.”

Asked if there was anything specific she was working on to be in top shape for the Olympics, Saina said: “The training is going as planned. I want to keep injury free. The rest is my coach’s planning. I am thankful to my physio for the recovery sessions. Good nutrition is the base of my training.”