India's top shuttler, Saina Nehwal, has been below par of late especially after winning a silver medal at the world championships. Saina has been exiting early from tournaments such as Denmark Open, Japan Open and French Open, which has surprised many experts and her fans alike.
In the above mentioned high-profile tournaments, one has witnessed Saina not moving freely on the court, which has given her opponents a huge advantage. In fact she has been outplayed as was witnessed in the French Open quarter final where the Indian shuttler struggled against the former world champion from Thailand, Ratchanok Itnanon.
World number 2, Saina, blames her fitness for such performances as she experienced pain in her right leg after the world championships. To make it worse, Saina cannot afford to take rest with the Olympics coming up next year.
"I had some pain in my right leg after the World Championships, so it is taking me time to get 100 percent fit. It's an Olympic year so there is no time to take break. I cannot afford to miss any tournament to protect my ranking," The Times of India quoted Saina as saying.
There is no doubt about the talent Saina possesses as she has won a number of titles, but she needs to find a way to improve upon her fitness and come up with huge wins. Her fitness levels have not only had an impact on her performances, but her confidence also seems to have been shattered.
Saina, who is also aware of her poor results, wants to get back into full fitness, which will have a positive impact on her results.
"I will have to get fully fit first. That is my top priority now. Performance will automatically take care of itself once I manage to attain my peak fitness," said Saina.
