Anxious Saina set to leave for Masters, finally

The passport officials could’ve obviously given her less grief. Coach P Gopichand says that it was a daunting task to explain to them that the Chinese players had chosen late on Thursday to withdraw from the season-ending finale, ensuring Nehwal sneaked in to fill one of the two vacant spots. It was also difficult to convince them that the passport office’s 5.30 pm work-closing and weekend offs might not have been deemed so sacrosanct when processing documents for one of India’s leading sports faces of 2008.

Preparation imperfect

Thorough preparation has been central to Nehwal’s success this whole year. The groundwork going into the year-ending Masters Finals, with its richest prize-purse to boot, though hasn’t been perfect and left her anxious.

“After everything, I’m going and I’m really happy, because it had seemed like I wouldn’t,” she says.

“It’s eaten into my training time, but I think I’m quite fit going into the tournament. It’s only in the mind now, so I have to recover fast,” she says.

2008 has seen the ice-cool Nehwal prove her capability. The four-day extravaganza at scenic Kota Kinabalu will be a test of the new World No 10’s composure in dealing quickly with situations not entirely in her control.