Pressure zone no worry for Saina

BENGALURU: AMONG Indian athletes who have qualified for the Rio Olympics, Saina Nehwal appears to be one of the best medal prospects. Pressure has been a huge burden for her, and at the Olympics, she will be the cynosure of all eyes leading India's charge. However, the current World No 5 prefers to treat the Games just like any other Super Series tournament.

"I will take it as the Rio Super Series and not the Olympics. And it can't be compared to the Australian Open. I will take it as another tournament. It is a different tournament and we have a lot of time to prepare and get to a higher level," she said during a function where she was presented a car by an automobile company here on Thursday.

Saina Nehwal during a promotional event in Bengaluru on Thursday | S Manjunath "The Australian (Open) win was unbelievable because after my match against Carolina (Marin) in Indonesia, I suffered a hamstring pull and could not play for the next three days. Sometimes, things happen and I did not think I would win. But for Rio, there is time to prepare and work out strategy because the draw will be out three weeks before. At the Olympics, it is all about how free we are while playing. It is a tough tournament for any player," she stated, while adding that there is expectation and pressure but she has been working hard. She also said that the win in Australia has boosted her morale.

The Australian open, Saina said, was less about rankings. "It was about how I would make a comeback from being injured, how to beat players I will face. I never thought about the Olympics, rankings or anything. I wanted to get that confidence and the winning momentum I lost in November in the final of the China Open," she explained.

Rio will be the third Olympics Saina will be playing in and she is more than thrilled to be taking part. "It's not easy. When I started playing, I didn't even think I would play one Olympics. The Olympics is something which I can't explain in words. It's not easy to describe how you feel when you get a medal," said the London bronze medallist.

Saina has come a long way since the London Games, becoming the World No 1 and winning a silver medal in the World Championships last year in Jakarta being the highlights. However, there is one mark she feels she is yet to achieve.

"I beat top players like Wang Yihan, Carolina  and Ratchanok (Intanon). However, Tai Tzu Ying is still a mystery and I hope to solve that puzzle as well," she concluded.

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