New Delhi: An upset stomach spoilt her campaign at the World Championship last week but India ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is not too upset and said she has crossed the stage of feeling disappointed.
The 23-year-old from Hyderabad missed a chance to grab the bronze at the World Championship in China after she suffered a 21-23, 9-21 loss to Korean Yeon Ju Bae in the quarter-finals of the prestigious event.
Asked if she was disappointed to miss the bronze, Saina said: "I am not disappointed. I was just unwell so I can't really feel disappointed. I have really crossed the stage to feel disappointed."
"I am doing really well and I am happy with the way I am playing. It is just a time of luck and when you have luck, you can pull off matches. Look how Ratchanok (Inthanon) pulled off the match against Li Xuerui," said Saina.
While she missed out, her younger colleague P V Sindhu went on a gaint killing spree and clinched the bronze in her maiden World Championship appearance. The 18-year-old was rewarded for her achievement as she was picked her for the Arjuna award today.
Asked about Sindhu receiving the Arjuna Award, Saina said: "It's natural when you win something at international level, you will get the award. So it was nothing new. It is good that she won the bronze medal there after beating two Chinese players. I wish her all the best."
Sindhu and Thailand's Ratchanok Inthanon are the two players who have beaten the Chinese and won the bronze and gold respectively at the World Championship, a rare feat considering the domination of China. Saina said: "It is not easy to beat the Chinese.
Sometimes it happens that by luck you beat Chinese in a tournament. They won't give up. They will get back. They have a very strong team". "The thought and belief is important and I think now they are showing the belief. Sindhu and Kashyap have already done that and now the next player is Gurusaidutt, who is doing well, then there is Ajay Jayaram, K Srikanth. All of them are doing well. Most of them are in top 30 now.
"I hope the way Chinese are having 6-7 players at top 10, we too will have players in the top bracket," she added. Asked if it is less lonely at the top 10 now that Sindhu is all set to enter the elite bracket, Saina said: "I think for the last six years I have been playing alone. So even that stage has crossed. So I am not feeling anything. I am happy everyone is doing well and Indian badminton is moving forward."
The two stalwarts of women's singles, Saina and Sindhu is now likely to clash at the iaugural Indian badminton league on Thursday and the senior pro said while the exciting is good, it is nothing new for her. "I have been playing her at the academy almost everyday.
Ofcourse she was not been able to play against me outside, so people are saying it is Saina vs Sindhu. I think it is okay. This is nothing new for me. Everyone is looking forward to the match and it is a good thing," the London Olympic bronze medallist said. Asked about IBL, Saina said: "IBL is good thing. It is good for money and fame. It will put players in the limelight but the players should continue performing well," she said.
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