I'm confident I can beat anyone: Saina

Saina Nehwal remembers the day she beat Aparna Popat in the final of the Indian Satellite tournament in New Delhi last year for her first senior title. That was the day that gave her the confidence that she could take on the best in the world.

Since then, Saina’s career graph has witnessed a steep rise, making her one of the most sought after sportspersons in India.

The 16-year-old, who idolises Indonesia’s Taufiq Hidayat and wants to emulate him by winning both the Olympic gold and the World title, touched down in Mumbai on Tuesday to defend her title. She spoke to Hindustan Times before starting to gear up for the challenge.

Excerpts.

How will you describe the year since the Satellite triumph?

I can’t find words to tell the entire story. So many things have happened in a year. After the Satellite we won the Commonwealth team bronze medal. Then came the win in the Philippines Open. It was a most unexpected victory. I never thought that I could win a four-star event so early in my career.

That title made you a star overnight? How has that changed things for you?

A lot. On the badminton front, my coach (Gopichand) started to believe that I had the potential to achieve many more things. That meant he started making me train harder and longer.

On the personal front, I have to deal with a lot of media attention and public scrutiny. But that is all part of badminton and I don’t mind doing it. Sometimes, though, it gets difficult. Like after I won the semifinals in the Junior world championship, people continued calling me till midnight. Though I replied to most calls, at one stage I put the phone on silent mode.

What are the positives you can draw from the World championship outing?

First of all the tournament gave me the confidence that I could match the Chinese in speed and shots. Though I lost to a Chinese in the final (Yihan Wang), I am now confident that if I train harder and play well I can beat anyone.

Every time Saina steps on the court now, she is expected to win. Do you feel the pressure of expectation?

Yes and no. When I am playing well I am confident but when I am not I am a bit worried about the reaction. But with time I am learning to only concentrate on my game and play to my satisfaction. One must understand that you can’t win all matches.

What are your future plans?

After this tournament my first priority is going to be the Asian Games. It is a difficult tournament as all the top players will be there. Right now I am not looking beyond that.

You have signed a contract with Globosport? Are we going to see Saina in commercials soon?

No, not immediately. They are lining something up for me though. But they have not spoken anything about it to me and I don’t think it will happen before the season concludes. Right now I am the brand ambassador of the Indian Government’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. So that’s it for now.