Saina has China on her mind as she starts campaign today

Saina has China on her mind as she starts campaign today

The mind game had begun much before the actual Games started. By choosing Li Xuerui in their squad ahead of Wang Shixian, China made their intent clear. Xuerui has enjoyed the better of Saina Nehwal for most part of their rivalry. China knows that if anyone can pose a serious challenge for their women shuttlers, it’s Saina. But Saina refuses to be drawn into this psychological battle. She is focussing on the task at hand. And as the lone warrior up against an army of Chinese shuttlers, if she chooses to keep all her cards close to her chest, you cannot help but empathise with her. How she goes about her preparation is a well-kept secret, something that even the Chinese would be proud of. “It doesn’t make sense to reveal everything,” her coach Pullela Gopichand told DNA. He did provide some insight though on coping with the occasion: “She’s doing Yoga. She’s been spending nearly an hour a day for quite some time now. It’s a great way to relieve pressure.” The courts at the Wembley Arena, where the world No 5 will open her campaign against unheralded Swiss Sabrina Jaquet on Sunday, are expected to be on the slower side. That means longer rallies and longer matches, which will be physically demanding. But Saina seems to be in top shape. Her weekly routine includes approximately four sessions of strength training, three to six sessions of endurance and eight sessions of agility and moderate running. She does dumbbell pullovers, rowing exercises, military press for her shoulders, heel raises for calf muscles, amongst others. “She is on par with the Chinese physically. It’s all about handling the situation on that particular day,” Gopichand said. Gopichand has everything worked out for Saina. On Friday and Saturday, more time was spent analysing her opponents rather than on the court. There were no expectations from Saina during the Beijing Games. In fact, it was then that she announced her arrival. But in these four years, she’s won more than a dozen titles. “She knows how to handle things, so I am not really worried,” Gopichand said. Neither is Saina. “I have developed as a player and now I am in a position to aim high. But I am taking one match at a time. I want to be relaxed; not think of a medal or pressurise myself,” she said.