Badminton ace Saina Nehwal has opened up about her romantic relationship with fellow shuttler Parupalli Kashyap after managing to keep it under the wraps for more than a decade.
The London Olympic bronze medalist has confirmed that she would be tying the knot with former Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap on December 16, days ahead of the commencement of Premier Badminton League (PBL).
Saina, 28, also revealed that the couple kept delaying marriage plans in order to focus on their individual badminton careers. However, she said they found time to spend with each other amid their busy schedule.
"We started travelling for bigger tours from 2007-08 onwards. We played tournaments together, trained together and slowly, started paying more attention to each other's matches," Saina told The Times of India.
"In the competitive world that we live in, it is difficult to get close to someone. But somehow we both found it very easy to talk to each other, talk about our matches. The feeling gradually grew."
"We didn't think about marriage before. The career that we pursue is very demanding. It is very important to win tournaments and we didn't want to shift our focus by getting married earlier.
"I didn't want to rush things before the CWG and Asian Games. But now, we think we are ready for it and can manage things on our own."
Saina has revealed that Kashyap, an Arjuna Awardee, is planning to venture into coaching to help her on tour.
Kashyap had reached as high as world number six in 2013 but recurring injuries didn't let his career flourish. The 32-year-old is active on tour but it's been a while since he made any impact at the highest level.
"We keep pushing each other. He is actively playing. But now he is getting into coaching so that he can help me," the Hyderabad shuttler said.
Sindhu's success pushes me to do well: Saina
Meanwhile, Saina also opened up about her much-talked-about rivalry with PV Sindhu, saying she isn't bothered about the comparisons.
Notably, Saina was the flagbearer of Indian badminton as she single-handedly challenged the Chinese domination in the sport earlier in the decade.
Sindhu, who had started out looking up to her senior compatriot, achieved superstardom when she became the first-ever Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal at the Rio Games in 2016.
Since then, Sindhu's career graph has seen an upward trajectory as the 23-year-old has managed to be consistent at the highest level and shine in major tournaments.
Nonetheless, a lot of hype is attached to Sindhu-Saina clashes, given the two shuttlers meet rarely on the circuit.
Despite Sindhu's growing reputation, she has struggled to beat Saina. The Rio Olympic silver medalist has lost their last three meetings, which includes the Commonwealth Games gold medal match earlier this year.
"We [Sindhu and I] both play at the international level and more than each other, we have other challengers to deal with. I am glad she is playing well, it pushes me to win more," Saina said.
She added: "Challenges and rivalry grow when two people are playing well equally in one sport. So I don't get bothered by the comparisons.
"I also don't keep a track of others' matches, as I have time only to look after my own preparation. She has been managing her opponents well, I am also trying to find ways to tackle my opponents."
