Saina back to full fitness after much-needed break
: Gearing up for her return after a
month-long break, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal said she
has regained full fitness and would be at the top of her game
during next week`s Japan Open Super Series.
|Last Updated: Sep 20, 2009, 12:43 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Gearing up for her return after a
month-long break, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal said she
has regained full fitness and would be at the top of her game
during next week`s Japan Open Super Series.
Saina was down with chicken pox weeks before the World
Badminton Championship last month but the Hyderabadi battled
on to become the first Indian to reach the quarterfinal of the
blue-ribbon event.
Having regained her full fitness, the world number seven
will now return to the court next week in the Japan Open Super
Series starting September 22 and the 19-year-old said she is
ready for the challenge.
"I needed a break to be on top of my game and fitness
after chicken pox. So, this break has helped refresh me,"
Saina said.
"It is a tough draw. I am in the second half and there
are players like Pi Hongyan, Tine Russmussen. So, it is
difficult but I am not bothered. At the moment, it`s just the
first match and I am well prepared for the challenge."
Saina will open her campaign against world number 10
Chinese Yanjiao Jiang and Beijing Olympics quarter-finalist
said it wouldn`t be an easy match.
"I am playing the world number 10 and I have played her
twice and the last time was in the Asian Championship. I lost
in three sets. But I am prepared this time and will give her a
good fight," she said.
Saina couldn`t participate in the ongoing China Masters
after missing the deadline for sending the entries which
resulted in a mild slump in her world rankings but the
Indonesian Super Series winner said she is not thinking about
her rankings right now.
"I know I couldn`t play the China Open and my rankings
went down because of that. It is a concern but I am not
thinking about rankings," she said.
Saina needs to be within the top-eight bracket to qualify
for the all-important World Super Series Masters final in
December and the Indian said she was confident of making
the cut.
"The World Super Series Masters is too far away at the
moment. After the Japan Open, I am playing four Super Series
this year -- Denmark, France, Hong Kong and China and I know
if can win the Indonesian Open, I can win these Super Series
too, which will again raise my rankings," she said.
Asked if she would be jittery when she takes the court
after remaining out of action for a month, Saina conceded she
might have to tackle a bit of nervousness initially.
"After a break you tend to get a little jittery and
nervous at the start but after two points things come back to
normal. So its ok. I think I have played enough international
tournaments to deal with it and it is not a problem," she
said.
Bureau Report
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