"PV Sindhu and myself were extraordinarily attacking players, who were also physically very strong. However, the new girls prefer to play longer rallies, relying on their defence. I don’t think they are physically strong yet, I feel they are a little fragile. They really have to build up their bodies," said Nehwal
Saina Nehwal at the launch of the CXO Pickleball League in Bandra on Saturday. Pic/Ashish Raje
Former World No. 1 badminton player Saina Nehwal believes the key difference between players of her generation and the current crop is their difference in aggression. She reckons the newer generation of women’s singles players — the likes of Anupama Upadhyaya, Unnati Hooda, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Malvika Bansod — can achieve greater success if they focus on strengthening their body while adopting a more aggressive, attacking game plan.
“PV Sindhu and myself were extraordinarily attacking players, who were also physically very strong. However, the new girls prefer to play longer rallies, relying on their defence. I don’t think they are physically strong yet, I feel they are a little fragile. They really have to build up their bodies,” Nehwal told mid-day on the sidelines of the Gravate Sports-organised CXO Pickleball League at a city hotel recently.
After Indian badminton’s golden decade (2012-2022), where the country produced three World No. 1 players (Nehwal, Sindhu and Srikanth Kidambi) along with three Olympic medals (bronze for Nehwal at the 2012 London Olympics; bronze and silver for Sindhu at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics respectively), there has been a lull in terms of results at major events. Among singles players, only HS Prannoy has succeeded in clinching a podium spot since the end of 2022 (bronze at the 2023 Copenhagen World Championships and another bronze at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China). Nehwal though insists one need not hit the panic button yet. “Every country goes through this phase. Suddenly, you stop producing champions. It happened with the likes of Japan and South Korea too. We have some of the best coaches now, so it’s only a matter of time before the players improve and we’ll win more major medals soon,” added Nehwal. 35, who hasn’t officially announced her retirement from the sport, but has not played competitively since the Singapore Open in June 2023.
“Just like I arrived on the scene quietly, I left in the same way. I was struggling with arthritis and my knees were in bad shape. When you want to play at the highest level, you need to train for 10-11 hours days, which I couldn’t anymore,” the three-time Commonwealth Games gold-medallist signed off.
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