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Saina Nehwal has come back strong in the Indian Badminton League after some disappointing performances (Getty Images)
After the legendary P.T. Usha, Saina Nehwal is the only female athlete to have achieved perplexing heights of popularity.
In the recently concluded World Badminton Championships though, she could not deliver according to the expectations of millions of her fans. But, her impressive game play in the first ever Indian Badminton League (IBL) has again established her supremacy in Indian badminton. It is humanly not possible and not fair to expect that any star will always be able to perform at such a high level.
In India, where badminton is still not counted among the so-called mainstream sports, Saina’s contribution in promoting the game has been par excellence.
She has achieved this status through her personal dedicated efforts, though we cannot deny the role of the training and coaching received, especially from our national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand along the way.
I intend to underline the fact that five years back, badminton was not as popular as it is today. Accordingly, in this cricket mad country there were not many supporters of the game. During the last 30 years, no worthwhile achievement was accomplished by any Indian shuttler apart from Prakash Padukone winning a bronze medal in the World Badminton Championship in 1983. In between, Gopichand had won the All England Championship in 2001, but such wins were few and far between.
When Saina burst onto the scene, badminton was fairly low-key, and nobody really followed the game in detail. But at the age of 16, Saina started to work really hard, and this showed in her performances around the globe. This led to a sudden generation of interest in the sport. This was primarily due to her excellent performance, as well as her fighting spirit. People could see the rise of a youth icon.
Over the last two years, Saina has won some major events, including Super Series events across the globe, as well as a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics. Even in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Saina lived up to the expectations. These events formed the basis of the general interest in a sport which was more of a hobby for Indians.
Saina has been doing so well in spite of her injuries as well as the pressure of millions of fans. This is not an easy thing to handle, especially as she is still only 23. She has always been a hard-working, cool, simple and contented player, who always rises to the occasion. She never fears her opponents, whatever their stature.
Saina has become the third-highest earning athlete in India, which is a remarkable achievement considering the popularity of cricket. Saina has truly become an icon for millions of fans of the game. She has really proved her worth time and again.
Even the rising star P.V. Sindhu has admitted that she learnt a lot from Saina. This is also the case with thousands of other young girls who have really been inspired by Saina.
Saina has really catapulted Indian badminton to new heights and it is hoped she can repeat her feats in the future as well.
