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Family sacrifices have ensured Saina Nehwal's meteoric rise in world badminton
It is rightly said that parents play an important role in a child's success. If the years 2006 and 2007 were superb for Saina Nehwal, then 2008 was even better for the Hyderabadi.
Last week she became the only Indian to reach the semi-finals of Masters Super Series in Malaysia.
Apart from becoming India's top ranked badminton player (World No 10 currently), she became the country's first shuttler to win World Junior title and first woman to reach quarter-finals at the Olympics. She is also the only Indian to win two Grand Prix titles (Philippines Open and Chinese Taipei Open).
Telling support
Today if Saina is the toast of Indian badminton it is because of her intense hard work and determination. But her parents' Dr Harvir Singh and Usha Nehwal support and encouragement has been equally important.
"We offered no distraction," Dr Singh told MiD DAY at their residence. "We did not want to give her any options. We wanted her to concentrate on only one thing at a time," added Dr Singh, a scientist at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad.
Saina was born in Hisar, Haryana. Her father and mother, both of whom were former badminton champions in Haryana, introduced her to the sport.
"We never asked her to take up badminton because we played. She used to accompany us for practice and got interested in it. We never put any pressure on her," he said. Later on they moved to Hyderabad after Dr Singh's transfer.
First signs
Dr Singh enrolled her to a summer camp in 1999, which helped him realise Saina's potential. "I found that she was thoroughly enjoying it and would wait enthusiastically for each day. That is when I felt she should pursue it seriously," he said.
Dr Singh and Saina, who was just nine then, would wake up at 6 every morning and head straight to the Lal Bahadur Stadium, which is around 20 km from their Padmanadha Nagar residence.
"Saina would often fall asleep on the journey to school after two hours of practice. So, her mother took over for the next three months," said Dr Singh.
With travelling taking its toll, Dr Singh decided to move closer to the stadium. This too didn't seem to help. "Saina was asked to attend evening sessions as well."
The expenses rose to over Rs 10,000 a month with the extra training sessions and travelling expenditures adding to the cost of equipment, which included shuttles, rackets and shoes.
This forced Saina's father to dig into his savings and provident fund.
The challenging times continued till 2002, when a sports brand offered to sponsor Saina's kit.
"I never let all this affect her game. All we asked her to do was concentrate on the game. I knew the rest will fall in place once she starts winning consistently," said Dr Singh.
The sponsorship increased as she impressed with every tournament.
In 2004, BPCL signed the rising star on their payroll, and in 2005 the Mittal Champions Trust spotted her.
Credit to Saina
However, Dr Singh still remains humble in taking any credit for her daughter's success. "I have done nothing.
"Saina was gutsy and that is why she succeeded. She has travelled the world alone at such a tender age... managing everything on her own. She would cry on tours earlier when she had no one to talk to. She is a brave girl and I am proud to be her father," he signed off. | 
