World Badminton Championships 2017: Saina Nehwal's perseverance and grit key to comeback, says coach Vimal Kumar

Nearly a year ago, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal returned to India in agony as a persistent knee injury restricted her from playing her natural game which resulted in an early ouster at the 2016 Rio Olympics. But, as she returns from Glasgow, where the 2017 World Badminton Championships were held, Saina comes home with a bronze medal along with immense confidence. [caption id=“attachment_3997635” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Saina Nehwal poses with her coach Vimal Kumar after receiving the bronze medal on the final day of the World Championships in Glasgow. Twitter: @Nsaina[/caption] To face a huge setback and recover is a laudable feat in itself but there is no hiding that Saina has had a tough year. Multiple injuries have cost her a significant amount of game time and despite winning the Malaysia Masters earlier in May, her performances at the Superseries level raised a few eyebrows. Saina’s coach Vimal Kumar, who travelled to Glasgow with the 27-year-old, was pleased with his pupil’s fight on and off the court but feels that the result could’ve been much better. “Overall, I think she (Saina) did reasonably well. Things could have been better but given how she has managed herself in the last eight to ten months, the result will be a big boost for her, personally,” Kumar told Firstpost. In between the 2015 silver at Jakarta and the bronze in this year’s edition, the 27-year-old has shown she is back on her feet despite going through a rough patch in recent events. “I feel good for her. More than me feeling good, it’s about her, as an individual’s success after what she went through. I would want to give a lot of credit to her. It was her perseverance and approach towards the game, my job is to support her. Saina’s qualities got her so far, I don’t take much of the credit. It is her determination which made her come back,” he added.   Saina was handed a bye in the opening round but following a second round win over Swiss shuttler Sabrina Jaquet, the campaign began to throw in tough draws. A surprise straight-game victory over Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun in the pre-quarterfinals was a clear indication that she was on the right track and in perfect shape to ruffle a few feathers at the world event. Saina took one game at a time and let her racquet do the talking on the court. When the crowd favourite and in form Kirsty Gilmour defeated He Bingjiao of China to set up a quarter-final clash with the Indian ace shuttler, there was a sense of optimism in the Scottish camp. However, it was Saina who had the last laugh as she took a step ahead and assured India of a medal for a second consecutive edition. It was in the semi-final match where Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, who edged past Carolina Marin in a 93-minute thriller in the quarters, made a sensational comeback from a game down to enter the final of the women’s singles. “I like the way she played the first game against (Nozomi) Okuhara. She was quite deceptive and used shots very judiciously. Playing shots at a good place was key and that’s the kind of badminton you should be playing against players who retrieve,” said the former national champion. With a game in hand already, Saina was just four points away from entering the final for the second time in a row. The scores were tied at 17-17 in the second game as fans inside the Emirates Arena, which at that point went more silent than a library, felt the heat. The Japanese took a grip of her shots and showed nerves of steel to take the second game and also the third to enter her maiden final at the worlds. “The shuttles were a bit slow in Glasgow. I was quite pleased with Saina’s performance but unfortunately, the fatigue set in later on. Normally, she is a fit girl but on that particular day, maybe the effect of the fatigue played a role and she was completely drained in the middle. But I still think at 17-all in the second game, she could’ve pulled it off. She could’ve applied herself a little better during that time. A loose serve and a few small things turned the game,” Kumar added. Kumar further opined that whoever starts the decider on a high has the mental advantage in the close matches and that’s where Saina faded. “These (small mistakes) are the points that you cannot afford to lose. Even though Okuhara was gasping for breath at the other end, this (slip up) gave her the confidence to continue,” he added.   For Kumar, a return to India with a hard-fought bronze medal is just the first step as the 54-year-old does not want Saina to stop but instead breach the obstacles and reclaim the top spot once again.