Nearly 35 years after India saw Prakash Padukone becoming the first shuttler from the country to lead the badminton rankings, albeit unofficially, Saina Nehwal on Saturday created history by becoming the first Indian woman to attain the World No. 1 ranking.
The number one spot had been the talking point since the beginning of the India Open Super Series with Nehwal and Spain’s Carolina Marin being main contenders for the numero uno status. But Nehwal’s 21-15, 21-11 victory over Yui Hashimoto of Japan and Marin’s 19-21, 23-21, 20-22 loss to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in semi-finals on Saturday swung it in the Indian’s favour. However, the official rankings will be out only on Thursday next week.
Taking the mantle from China’s li Xuerui, who has been number one for more than a year, Saina was destined to clinch the top spot after a great couple of months. She won the coveted China Open Super Series last year, the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold in lucknow and finished runner-up at the All England Badminton Championship last week to Marin.
Speaking after her resounding and comfortable win, Saina, who is normally shy of the media, was more vocal than ever and expectedly all smiles. “Yes, I am very happy with the achievement but it isn’t something that I’m looking out to. It is something that is still unbelievable. I will actually have to see it in front of me to believe that I’m No.1. It is something that every player dreams of achieving. li Xuerui was there for a long time and we would always see her name.”
It has been a long and turbulent journey for Saina since the World Badminton Championship in August last year when she contemplated quitting with her performances not improving against the big players. That is when she moved from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and from the tutelage of Pullela Gopichand to Vimal Kumar.
“It was a big decision moving from a big house to a small room and then my father is alone in Hyderabad and my mom in Bengaluru so it was a big decision. He told me that it is a decision I will have to live with for the upcoming years. So I did it and took the flight. I told myself, if it goes the right way, I’ll be there and if not, I’ll maybe stop playing. I felt bad that there was no change and by God’s grace it worked,” she added.