Saina Nehwal says the China Open triumph recently tops the list of her achievements.
“I would rate this as the best compared to the other seven Super Series titles. It is tough because the courts are slow and the crowd cheers the local players.
“It is a dream for a badminton player to win the China Open and I am really delighted at having won,” the 24-year-old told The Hindu in an interview on Monday.
“I would rate the 2012 London Olympics bronze as the next best achievement. You feel different after such a win in such a prestigious event.
“I was surprised that K. Srikanth defeated Lin Dan in the men's singles final of China Open.
“It is a great achievement by any standards. I hope he continues to improve and does well. This augurs well for Indian badminton,” she said.
On the pressure to win a Super Series title (after her success at the Australia Super Series earlier this year)
There wasn’t any, really. It was not that I was playing badly and losing all the time. You need a slice of luck some times. Now, I feel more comfortable and more confident given the kind of training programme under Vimal Sir.
Reasons attributed to China Open win
Frankly, it was Vimal Sir who insisted that I should play China Open. I was not keen initially, as there was little time to prepare.
But he felt that I could win the China Open after the training in Bengaluru. That gave me some sort of belief and I just tried to play to the best of my ability.
The emphasis was more on movements. For obvious reasons I would not like to elaborate on the real areas of focus. It is pretty simple with Vimal Sir — not to do too much or too less; just enough for a major event.
Everything was falling in place before the China and the Hong Kong Opens. I am really grateful to him for the kind of effort he is putting into training me.
The difference in training between Vimal and Gopi Chand
Both are great coaches, know their job well. We need to have more like them to see more champions.
I have no regrets in moving over from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. You have to take some tough decisions in life and in sport. I am happy with the way things are going. Yes, the Garden City is almost a second home now for me.
I am preparing for my next big event — the Super Series finals in Dubai from December 12 to 21. Every bit of planning has to be perfect to realise the goal of winning an Olympic gold in the 2016 edition.
