IndiaPost.com - Saina Nehwal sounds alert to world's top shuttlers

NEW DELHI: After stunning victories and show of grit en route to her Chinese Taipei title, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal said she was ready to challenge world's top players following her "best tour ever".

"It was great. It was the best tour that I've ever had. I never thought that I would do so well, I mean I was confident but I was a little scared too as there was Zhu Lin and Marian Kritin Yulianti (who defeated Saina in Beijing Olympics quarterfinals) also," Saina told PTI from Hyderabad.

"I was really shocked when Yulianti was defeated and her loss had actually made the draw open for me," she added. "I have lost a few matches against the top players but this tour has given me a lot of confidence.

Reaching the Olympics quarterfinals was also a great confident booster. I read their (players') game and realized that I don't need to lose my focus and I should be more patient. I feel I can beat anybody in this world now," Saina said. Evidently brimming with confidence owing to her rampaging form, the 18-year-old is confident to break into the top 10 by the year end.

"I am now world number 12, hopefully if in the next ranking I can move a place further then I feel with the Hong Kong Open and China Open that I am playing in November, I should be among the top 10 players by November end or by end of December," she said. Saina has also set her eyes on the Commonwealth Youth Games (Oct 12-18) and the World Junior Badminton Championship (Oct 24-Nov 2) that gets underway in Pune this year.

"Next I am playing the Junior Commonwealth Games and the World Junior championship and I would like to give my 100 per cent. I am not taking the tournaments lightly. "The Junior Commonwealth might be a little less tough but the World Championship will definitely be difficult.

The junior shuttlers of China and some other countries are really doing well and I just want to give my best," she said. Considering that she returned to India recently one would expect her to take a break but Saina has already started her training session and says she doesn't feel like taking a break and want to play as much as possible.

"I don't feel like taking a break. With so many tournaments there is hardly any break. Now see I would be leaving for Pune on 10th of this month so I have just nine days to go. I want to fine-tune my game and just want to try and do my best as much as possible," she said.

"Though I am not feeling any weakness in my game as such, but I feel I still need to improve on certain grounds. I am running well and I am primarily an attacking player but I need to concentrate on my defense as well. I also need to improve my back hands and make it perfect," she added.

While other shuttlers would favor a foreign stint for training, Saina is very much contended with the practice session that she is having with national coach Pullela Gopichand. "I am not in favor of this foreign training stint. I am getting such world class training here.

In the academy, Gopi Sir plays with me, there are also some guys who play with me, I am getting all the time I need. I don't think anywhere else I will get as much time," she reasons. On her first round exit from the Japan Open, Saina said she could not adjust to the court and lacked concentration.