Saina Nehwal hopes to strike form in Indian Open
NEWDELHI: For Saina Nehwal, the Indian Open World Super Series, which begins at the Siri Fort Sports Complex from Tuesday, will be another step towards regaining top form after a injury layoff. “Coming back after the knee surgery wasn’t easy. Every time I stepped on the court, fear (of the injury recurring) restricted my movement. It’s more mental than physical,” said the former world No 1. In August last, she underwent surgery, and after a layoff, is on the comeback trail. Saina said she was happy to play at the top level again, but was finding it tough to perform. “It’s difficult to achieve good results immediately. Training is on expected lines, but competition is a different ball game,” she said. According to Saina, the three tournaments she played since comeback were satisfying. “At the All England, there was a 50-50 chance of winning the quarterfinals (against Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun). Since body movement was restricted, I wasn’t able to sustain myself as the match progressed. But overall it has been a good journey,” she said here on Monday.
PV Sindhu, silver medallist at the Rio Olympic Games, and Saina are among the top ten in world ranking. While Sindhu is ranked fifth, Saina is ninth.
However, none of the men shuttlers are in the top bracket. Ajay Jayaram is 19th, while HS Prannoy is ranked 23rd. Kidambi Srikanth, ranked 31st, failed to progress beyond the quarters at Rio, but chief national coach Pullela Gopichand was optimistic on the men’s chances.
“We have a good bunch and we expect them to deliver goods this week,” he said.