New Delhi: Former India badminton coach Vimal Kumar reckons a ‘tough’ journey awaits Saina Nehwal in future. Vimal Kumar said Saina Nehwal will need to target specific tournaments to prolong her career. His comments came after the Covid-19 pandemic shattered Saina’s Tokyo Olympics dreams.
Battling injuries and indifferent form, Saina, 31, couldn’t make her fourth Olympics. It happened after the sport\’s governing body, Badminton World Federation (BWF), cancelled the last three qualifiers due to the pandemic.
“She (Saina) came into the limelight in 2005-06 and has been a big trend setter after Prakash Padukone. She has been consistent, played many years. It is sad that she couldn’t qualify this year. I guess she has been a bit unlucky in the last two Games,” Vimal said Friday.
Vimal had guided Saina to the World No.1 ranking. He said the London Olympics bronze medallist can serve Indian badminton for a few years. However, it will only happen if she plans her future in a proper manner and takes care of her body.
“She (Saina) can continue for few years but it is going to be tough. She has to plan things better, target specific tournaments and work towards it. With her experience she can still beat the best players. However, she shouldn’t look at ranking because it will be difficult to play the circuit and also stay injury free,” Vimal pointed out.
The shuttler has claimed over 24 international titles, including 11 Superseries crowns in a stellar career. She has won a silver and bronze at the World Championships and a bronze at 2012 London Games.
Saina had reached the quarterfinals at the Beijing Games. She suffered a career-threatening knee injury just days ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, which saw her bow out in the second round.
A determined Saina, however, returned to grab her second Commonwealth Games gold in 2018. She remained on course for a Tokyo berth before slipping in the last two years.
Is it possible to chase another Olympics? “It is very difficult. She has been getting injured consistently. I don’t know, it is a tough task and, to be honest, Olympics shouldn’t be her priority anymore,” Vimal pointed out.
“Her performance has seen a steady decline since January 2019 when she won the Indonesia final after Carolina Marin got injured. After that she has not done anything remarkable. Of course, it was all Covid-19 for most parts,” Vimal said.
Vimal feels it will all depend on Saina’s hunger to succeed in the sport which she has been playing for more than 15 years.
“No major changes can be made at this stage. Saina has to take care of her body. Sports is tough, it’s difficult for body to take that sort of intensity consistently,” Vimal asserted.
“She is still better than rest of the young players but now the focus will be on youngsters. She will have to manage, look to play the circuit on her own expense, if she still has that willingness and hunger. She has (Parupalli) Kashyap as her coach now. If she can do all that, she can continue to play for a couple of years at least, and that will be good for other Indian players as well,” Vimal signed off.