Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is 14,535 points adrift of World No 1 Li Xuerui. But the 22-year-old Hyderabadi is confident of bridging the gap and reaching the top spot this year.
“I am working hard and the performances are coming. There are almost 15-20 tournaments. My aim is to do well in all of them, but most importantly, performing at the World Championships.
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Saina Nehwal at the launch of a cell phone yesterday. PIC/ Bipin Kokate
The No 1 is a Chinese. It is not easy to become World No 1, but nothing is impossible. Now that I am No 2, I will definitely reach the top spot,” said Saina, who regained the No 2 spot last week after two years.
Having won four major titles this year — Thai, Swiss, Indonesian and Danish Opens — apart from being runner-up at the French Super Series, she is now hoping to do well at the All England Open Badminton Championships starting on March 5. Last year, she crashed out in the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament.
“I am looking forward to the All England Championships. The important thing is the time of practice, which I didn’t get last time. I have been playing too many tournaments. Now I have a proper one month break, and hopefully will do well in Birmingham,” said the Olympic bronze medallist, on the sidelines of a mobile phone launch in the city yesterday.
With P Kashyap at the World No 10 spot — the highest-ever reached by any Indian after Prakash Padukone and P Gopichand — the sport in the country is on right track, she says. “With two Indians in the top 10 and PV Sindhu at 16, the Indian badminton is moving in the right direction,” she signed off.u00a0 u00a0u00a0
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