Badminton star Saina Nehwal credits her coach Vimal Kumar for guiding her to a “dream run this year”.
Saina, who reached the final of the World Championship recently, has been under Vimal’s tutelage in Bengaluru for about a year now, after having worked with P. Gopi Chand in her adopted home city of Hyderabad before that.
The World No.1, unveiled as the Edelweiss Group’s brand ambassador at a press conference here on Friday, stated that Vimal had helped her get over a few mental blocks that had threatened to derail her career.
“When I first came to Bengaluru, I asked Vimal sir ‘Will I be able to cross the quarterfinal stage in the World Championship? Will I be able to regain my World No.1 spot?’ He said, ‘Saina, you have worked so hard to reach this level, so you can definitely reach the finals and win all major tournaments. You will become World No.1 soon. From now on, just work hard and believe in yourself’.”
“Even when I lose a match, Vimal sir tells me to believe in myself.”
The 25-year-old explained that apart from building her confidence, Vimal had also made a few technical adjustments which have turned her game around.
“We are very disciplined in training, but it took some time for me to overcome my mental stress. I had gone through a difficult two years, where I had lost to girls I would have beaten in straight sets usually,” Saina said.
“And, then, there were the top-level players I have struggled against — Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian, Tai Tzu-ying and Ratchanok Intanon. My poor record against these girls forced me to make changes in my game. This is where I received good support from Vimal.”
“My movements on the court were very, very slow; so with his help, I turned into a fast mover. I am able to cover the court well now. My racquet movements are better as well, which helps me play my shots. My defence has improved a lot too.”
That Saina has achieved so much in a short period of time is testament to Vimal’s efficient methods as a coach.
“I’ve been with him for just a year, and it normally takes time for a coach and his ward to click. But I’ve already done so well — winning the China Open and the Indian Open Super Series, becoming the World No. 1 and so on,” Saina said.
Asked about her chances at the upcoming Japan Open, and a possible second-round match against P.V. Sindhu, Saina replied: “I’m happy that we have many Indians who are doing well at the international level now. This shows that the quality of Indian badminton has improved.
“As for possibly facing Sindhu, I approach all matches in the same way, regardless of which country my opponent is from.”
