I was lucky to win Indonesia Masters, reveals Saina Nehwal

Nehwal and Marin were up against each other in the summit clash of the Indonesia Masters but when the Spanish shuttler was leading, she sustained an injury on her right knee and was forced to go off the court and handed Nehwal the title. However, the 28-year-old is happy only with her performance by making it to one Superseries semi-final and a final and is of the opinion that she was lucky enough to win the title in Jakarta. 

"It has been long since I won my Super Series title, but I was happy that I could reach one semi-final and one final after that... Unfortunately, Carolina Marin had to retire after the injury but I think I was quite lucky to win the tournament," Nehwal told IANS.

Nehwal’s former coach Vimal Kumar has always hailed the fighting spirit shown by her during competitive encounters and she herself believes that it is one of her specialities. Nehwal, who has done well to come out of an injury and perform well at the top stage of badminton, underlined the fact that injuries are a part of every sportsperson’s life.

"Thank you to Vimal sir for saying that, but I know it since my childhood. I used to fight matches and win them, and it's all because of my fighting spirit. Mentally, I am a little stronger, and that has been one of my specialities.

"There is no shortcut in sports. Injury is part of a sportsperson's life. We have to be patient and go with the flow. We should make sure we have good training and be fitter. Rest is not in our hands.”

The 28-year-old shuttler will now participate in the senior nationals to be held in Guwahati from February 10-16 and then will also play in the All England Championships which is scheduled to begin from March 6 in Birmingham.

"I have to be very careful in tough situations because in bigger tournaments, I have to fight it and overcome it. The last time I lost in the All England Badminton final was in 2015. I have to make sure I have to overcome (issues) and win major events as well. I know it's not going to be easy, but I am going to correct a few of my mistakes and movements."