Don’t know what’s happening: Jwala

India’s star-shuttler Jwala Gutta seems discontent with her game in the Syed Modi Memorial International Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championships. Though as expected,the fourth seeded pair of Jwala and V Diju won in their mixed doubles quarter-finals today but Jwala herself labelled her performance as average. Yesterday,the unseeded Malaysian pair of Liu Ying Goh and Yin Loo Lim had upset Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa (third seed) 18-21,21-14,21-16 in the women’s doubles pre-quarterfinals.

Talking to The Indian Express after the match,Jwala said,“I just played average. It was not as though I gave my 100 per cent. I am not being able to give my best. I do not know what is happening. Yesterday also in the women’s doubles match,Ashwini played well but I perhaps suffered some ‘mental blockage’ and I take the sole responsibility for that defeat. But in comparison to yesterday’s women’s doubles match,I was focussed and was more alert today. Though I made mistakes but I was quick to rectify them.”

She had a word of praise for Diju and said that he did not allow the opponents to come into the game.

She,however,maintained that prospects are bright of her and Diju triumphing at Lucknow. She claimed that she was confident about her “getting selected and winning medals in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles events at the Olympics.”

Jwala complained that the doubles pairs in India are not given the importance and the encouragement they are supposed to get. “Even after a gold at the Commonwealth Games 2010,our shirts are blank as there is lack of sponsorship for doubles players. Perhaps winning a medal at the World Championships this year was also not enough,” she quipped.