In twilight years, Saina Nehwal vows to keep going

New Delhi, September 13

Saina Nehwal is aware that qualifying for the Paris Olympics will be “tough” for her but the injury-ravaged Indian shuttler has no plans to quit badminton and would do everything to resurrect her career.

Laid low by a spate of injuries, including a recurring knee issue, and other health problems, the 33-year-old from Hyderabad has found it tough to stay fit to consistently turn up at the BWF World Tour events.

Her ranking has plummeted to No. 55 in the world.

“I get inflammation in my knee whenever I train for an hour or two. I am not able to bend my knee so a second session of training is not possible. The doctors have given me a couple of injections. Of course the Olympics is near and it is tough (to qualify),” Nehwal, who is the race ambassador for the Harvest Gold Global Race on September 24 in Gurugram, told reporters.

“But I am trying my level best to comeback. The physios are helping me but if the inflammation doesn’t reduce, it will take little more time to recover. If you are trying to compete against An Seyoung or Tai Tzu Ying or Akane (Yamaguchi), it won’t happen with just one hour of training. The level has improved so much. So when you are playing such players, you need a high level game,” Nehwal said.

No deadline for retirement

The two-time World Championships medallist Nehwal last won a title in January 2019 at the Malaysia Masters.

While knee has been a recurring issue, she also had problems with groin and ankle, besides being diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis with mild pancreatitis in the past. “Everyone has to retire someday… there is no deadline. Everyone is going to stop when you feel the body is not supporting you. But at the moment I am trying.”