‘I dont even smile at my parents when I lose. The anger is there till you win’

Chinese challenge

They are dedicated to the sport and that is why they are producing so many champions. I believe it is not impossible to beat them because they too are human beings finally. You just have to train a little bit harder because India was never a country where we produced so many badminton champions. I have been lucky to perform well in the international circuit for the last seven years. I have been in the top five for the last four years. So,that is a great achievement and I am happy about it. I would like to thank my parents and coaches for that. There was a time in 2007 when I lost continuously in the first round. I was thinking oh god,whats happening. But my parents told me Saina,you are a champion for us.

Early days

When I was nine,my mom told me she wanted me to be an Olympic champion. I was like,are you joking,Ive just started playing. But she was like no,you are either playing the sport to be a champion or forget it. So,the pressure was there,but I took it positively. In fact,when I played my first national-level tournament,I lost in a very close match in the semi-finals. I was just coming out of the court,and I was thinking that my mother would at least tell me that Id played well but she slapped me in front of all my colleagues. She was like what did you do? I did not expect this after so much hard work. Of course,all my colleagues were laughing at me,and I was like one day I will show you all. These type of things should happen when you really want to be a champion. Your parents need to be supportive.

Reading the rivals mind

They are very confident when they have the lead,but you should never think that you have lost it. You should try your best not to leave the shuttle or not make a simple mistake because you are already 19-16 down. If you are positive,then you can get in. Not that you have to win the match,but get it to 19 at least. So that in the next game,you can try to win it.

Talent or hard work?

I would say 70 per cent is hard work and 30 per cent talent. I am a person who has to learn strokes. I have to work hard and need to take a break before a big tournament. Its not easy for me to get back into proper shape and play the tournament properly. I play a lot of Super Series but I really have to get a lot of break before a big tournament so I can come fully prepared.

Playing in China

The crowd doesnt cheer between points. They support you when you have a good rally and win a point. But,of course,it is tough to play in China because there are so many Chinese players there. Not many opt to play there because somehow they feel the Chinese are very strong on their home ground. This year,in fact,the world championships are in China so it is going to be very interesting. Its always good to play in China,and to beat a Chinese player in China is even more special because they remember you.

Handling pressure

Being World No. 2 and being in the top five for so many years does add up to a little pressure. Sometimes,you come out of nowhere and win a title. Thats because there is no pressure or tension. This time,at the All England Championships,the World No.1 lost in the first round,so there is some kind of pressure but you need to cope with it. I am okay with handling the pressure nowadays. You see Roger Federer,he maintained his No. 1 position for almost six years and won all the grand slams.

Away from court

I was the youngest person to play the Thomas Uber Cup at the age of 12. So,if you see my international career,I have been with the senior team from the age of 12 to 23. I am already a veteran now. My personal life is all about standing on the podium,winning titles for my country,going to the academy,coming home,eating food and sleeping.

Of course,Sunday is a break so I try to go out and have fun. I love watching Bollywood movies. I am a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan. I try to watch a lot of movies and whenever I win tournaments,I love eating ice creams. I love eating junk food but I cant till I get time off or until I win a tournament. It is like a punishment but I enjoy this. This is why I am here. The reason why young three-year-olds and 60-year-olds respect me is because of my game.

I am very happy that I can make my parents proud. They feel happy when I win tournaments and I want to see that happiness on their faces again and again. Its all about the game.

Coach Gopichands academy

We only have one coach and he is trying to do some good things for badminton and people want to stop it. I dont understand why. If he has got an academy,what is wrong in that? We have got so many champions from there now. He is trying to help them. He is not doing this for his own benefit. He is giving all the young kids and the senior players training. He comes to the academy at 4.30 am and goes home at 9 pm. Imagine what his family must be thinking. Can you tell me of a stadium that has got proper coaches and is very good for the national coaching system today in India?

Being an Indian,we should all support coaches who are doing it. Of course,he is my coach so I will defend him. He is doing good for the country. You should respect it and not just because I am World No. 2 but because he has another seven-ten players in the top 50.

Driving force

It is like a job. In fact I fight with my dad. He says over there you didnt play like this,over here you should have played like that. I told him you go to office and you only sit. I play for eight hours. I keep running here and there,its hard. It is a little difficult for players to go and train every day. We need some time off. But,of course,we cant take a month off or two months off. We can only take a week,a week-and-a-half and that too in a year.

Dealing with losing

I used to cry a lot after losing matches. Today I feel there is no point in crying because you can just go and work hard. I am in a position today that I am winning most of the tournaments. So to continue that,I cant feel low at any point of time. If I feel low the next tournament gets spoiled.

No smiles

I dont smile at anyone. I dont even smile at my parents when I lose a match. It is just that the anger is there till you win a match. Even when you win,the Chinese players give you a different kind of look. There is one player I have beaten many times. This time she beat me,but she didnt even show any kind of winning feeling. Because she was like we should not make her angry otherwise next time she will beat me. So,I was like its okay,I understand you,no problem.

Being humble

My father is the one who stays calm,relaxed and very humble. Sometimes I get angry over how I lost a match or why he didnt help me with something and he will say,relax first. I was always like that from childhood. Whatever the coaches would say,I would do it.

My father has said,the more grounded you are,the more success you will get. So that is why I do it. I have achieved so much and I can get away with it but I dont because it wont suit me.

Transcribed by Jonathan Selvaraj