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Saina Nehwal created history last Sunday when she became the first Indian shuttler to reach the final of the World Championships. The 25-year-old has tasted a lot of success ever since she has changed coaches and started to train under Vimal Kumar.
But one man who is equally responsible for Saina's ascent to the top is former All England Open winner and chief coach Pullela Gopichand, who is delighted by the Indian’s achievements and admitted that she was playing much better now as compared to before.
"It's a fantastic achievement and it's really good what she has achieved. This leaves her with the expectation to do even better. I can definitely say that she is playing better. Of course, you can debate that. Last year, she won the Australian Open defeating Carolina and registered other good performances. Today is the time to celebrate her feat. She is World No. 1 and I'm very happy for her. If going to Vimal has made this difference to her game, I have no problems with that," Gopichand said on the sidelines of an event on Saturday, the Times of India reports.
Talking about the overall performance of Indian shuttlers at the competition, the chief coach expressed satisfaction over the performance of both the Men’s and the Women’s contingent.
"This World Championship has been very positive for me - whether it is Saina's silver, Jwala-Ashwini reaching the quarters or Sindhu coming close to winning a medal, even the men's singles display was really good - overall it has been very satisfying for me as a coach," he said.
Expect Srikanth to become a top class player in time to come: Gopichand
India’s top ranked Men’s Singles player Kidambi Srikanth hasn't been in the best of forms, but Gopichand felt that the shuttler is a bit raw at the moent and expected him to become a top player in the years to come.
"In men's singles, look at the Lee Chong Wei's, the Lin Dan's and Chen Long's. You see guys in the age group of 28 to 32 years. Experience plays a major role and he is somebody who is just 22 years old. He is very young. He has the basic qualities required to be a top player. He is also a great learner. He has raw talent and aggression. In the next couple of years, I'm sure we will see him grow into a top class player," he said.
Also talking about the performance of PV Sindhu, Gopichand said the 4-month injury layoff that she had seemes to have had some impact on her game, but praised her performance at the World Championships.
"In men's singles, look at the Lee Chong Wei's, the Lin Dan's and Chen Long's. You see guys in the age group of 28 to 32 years. Experience plays a major role and he is somebody who is just 22 years old. He is very young. He has the basic qualities required to be a top player. He is also a great learner. He has raw talent and aggression. In the next couple of years, I'm sure we will see him grow into a top class player," the Dronacharya awardee said.
