Saina feeling the weight of expectations

Saina will head to Alor Setar,to play the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold

As the last of the Indians were knocked out in the quarter-finals on Friday,it was Saina Nehwals brief appearance on the sidelines of the India Open Super Series that brought the buzz back at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. Two days after losing to Japans Ai Goto in the first round,Saina seemed to have come to terms with her early exit at the first Super Series at home.

On Sunday,Saina will head to Alor Setar,to play the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold. Though this event is a tier below the Super Series,the field will be tougher. The Chinese girls,who skipped the Delhi event,will be in Malaysia. The stars of the tournament along with Saina will be World No.3 Wang Xin and No.5 Jiang Yanjiao.

Being the top seed at Alor Setar,Saina will once again be in the reckoning to win the title. But with the first round loss here still fresh in her mind,the star shuttler hinted that it was getting tough to travel around the world with the burden of expectations.

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Saina said it would have been better if more Indians girls would last till the business end of top tournaments. In China there are so many good players that even if one loses,there is another player up on whom the expectations rest. For me it is not easy because there is always this feeling that I have to win every tournament,which obviously is not possible,more so when I play at home. I did feel bad after losing here in the first round but I am looking ahead now, Saina said.

There is a good set of juniors coming up the ranks in India but we have to wait and watch how they do at the world juniors. We also have Gurusai Datt,P Kashyap and Sourabh Verma who are making a mark. If we could have more Indians doing well at the world level it will be great for the sport in the country, she added.

Saina didnt blame her ankle injury for the early loss. It does hurt on and off but injury management is important. I had to take medicines but I will continue playing for now and may be think of skipping a tournament later if it really troubles me. At the moment I am able to train well, Saina said.

On the way out,Indian badmintons poster girl signed autographs and posed with fans as the attention once again shifted to her at the India Open. Once you win big tournaments,players and coaches watch you more carefully and study your game. It gets tougher as it is not easy to surprise opponents but I am working as hard as ever and am confident that the good results will continue to come my way, she said.