Saina will play in Denmark Open, says Gopichand

Hyderabad: Star shuttler Saina Nehwal, who has decided to skip the Japan Open Super Series tournament this month, will play in the Denmark Open in October, Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand said here on Friday.

"She will be playing in Denmark and France," he told reporters here on the sidelines of inauguration of Corporate Badminton League (CBL). Saina, currently ranked world number four, is tired after a hectic schedule including the recently-concluded Indian Badminton League (IBL), he said. "As far as Saina is concerned, I think she has had a hectic tour. At this stage where she is in her career, she can afford to miss a few tournaments and also the fact that she has no points to defend in Japan makes it easier for her to take this decision," he said. He hoped that other players too would put up impressive performances in the upcoming big tournaments. "We have just finished off with the IBL. So, many of the players have been very tired. I think it is important that they continue playing and get back into the groove. Because, these are major events happening in the world and it is important that they perform well," he said. Gopichand hoped that young shuttler K Srikanth, who has put up some superb performances in the IBL, would continue to do well. "He is young. He has had some very good experiences and performances in the IBL. Hopefully, we will continue to build on that and will have some good performances in the future," he said. PTI