Is 2013 the year of Saina Nehwal?

Saina Nehwal has been one of the very best for the last 5 years . From the moment she burst on to the scene as a talented 16 year old, Saina has been making heads turn with her talent, grit, determination and a never say die attitude. Currently ranked number 2 in the world , 2013 might just be the year where Saina becomes truly unbeatable on the world circuit.

In the sport of Badminton, China is always considered a powerhouse and it is no surprise that the Olympic gold medalists for both the men and women’s event came from China. However, in the women’s section, Saina has been challenging Chinese superiority for the last 4 years. Most of the top tournaments have become a competition between “Saina and China”, with the other players at a level below the top 4.

Comparing women’s badminton to men’s tennis, Saina can be compared to the Andy Murray of men’s tennis. Incredibly consistent, but just falling at the final hurdle, Saina has been in the top 4 of the world for 4 years running now. But Saina, like Murray, seems to have put the mental block behind in 2012, and this can be exemplified by the fact that she won 5 of the 10 top level tournaments she took part in, and made the semifinals in all the tournaments except one .

The next step in Saina’s career will be to improve her current ranking of 2 to one step better and become the world’s best player. This year looks like the year where it might finally happen. One major thing that has changed is, the Chinese players also fear Saina now. They are no longer a cut above her, and Saina easily has the weapons in her game to dethrone the Chinese girls. With Saina already having beaten Li Xuerui and Wang Yihan last year, they will definitely be nervous about the prospect of facing Saina in a tournament .

Supremely fit, Saina’s main strength is in engaging her opponents in long rallies. Having improved her smashing and drop shots in the last year under the expert guidance of Gopichand, Saina has added a new dimension to her game. Retrieving every shuttle, even from seemingly impossible positions, there is never a free point while playing against her. Also, despite being the highest paid non cricketing sportsperson in India, Saina has managed to remain committed to the game and not got sidetracked by other distractions.

More than anything , the mental outlook of both Saina and Chinese players has changed in the past year. Saina now has the mental belief that she can become the world’s best, while the Chinese now treat her as their biggest rival. This mental toughness and mindset of Saina might make the vital difference, and this year might just be the year when this incredible woman from India becomes the best badminton player in the world. At the next Olympics, Saina will be on a quest to change the medal from bronze to gold, and considering the exponential rate at which she has improved over the past years, nothing is beyond the reach of the phenomenal Saina Nehwal.