Within half-an-hour after her victory against the former World champion Wang Yihan in the World Championship on Friday in Djakarta, ensuring her maiden medal in the prestigious tournament, she called her father Harveer Singh Nehwal and her first coach, Syed Momammed Arif in Hyderabad. Being ecstatic with the insurance of first ever medal, it just took a couple of minutes for Saina Nehwal to pay all her attribute to them and say, “my independence day gift for you!” Arif, the first Dronacharya coach in Indian badminton, speaking over telephone from Hyderabad on Friday, seemed simply speechless. Later he said, “Saina was under my training for six years, during her whole career in the junior level where she earned already an achievement, representing India in the senior level as the country’s junior most shuttler. Still, she has not forgotten me on the day of such a big success. Yes, I also admitted while talking to her over the phone that it has been the best Independence-day gift I received.” Saina’s father, Harveer also expressed the same emotional reaction while saying, “It has been a great gift from my daughter. And on the day before our Independence it has been the best gift.”
Arif seems confident that from now on Saina would be able to defeat the best Chinese players regularly. The ace Indian shuttler’s record against the best Chinese players is so far poor. With the victory against Wang on Friday, Saina’s scoreline against her is now 3-9! She has also been defeated mostly by Li Xuerui. But Dronacharya coach said, “Saina has brought more variety in her game. Especially, I found a lot of deception in her backhand strokes which actually forced the Chinese player to surrender.”