Finding her feet again

Badminton : Fighting back after her knee surgery, Saina Nehwal is carefully charting her path to competition

Saina Nehwal’s exit from the Rio Olympic Games was a painful one, both to her and to her compatriots.

A knee injury had hampered her progress at the Games but a little over two months on, India’s champion shuttler is well on her way back, putting behind a tough phase and relying on her well-known fighting qualities to chart her second innings in the sport.

At the Karnataka Badminton Association stadium in Bengaluru on a warm Saturday morning, Saina’s session is marked by plenty of stretching and a few friendly rallies but the occasion was massive. With her support team comprising her mother Usha Nehwal, coach Vimal Kumar and her physio, Saina cut a figure of grit and perseverence as she took another step towards her comeback.

The undying love for the sport she has excelled at was evident during the two-and-a half- hour session. Even though she spent longer time on exercises to strengthen her right knee, the signs of her imminent return shone brightly as she exchanged strokes with Vimal, while her mother got into the action by collecting and organising the shuttlecocks.

The China Open, scheduled at Fuzhou from November 15 to 20, will be her comeback tournament, after enduring plenty of pain and agony ever since her Rio exit.

“The initial days after Rio were tough,” said Saina. “I was not able to walk. There were so many issues with my knee. I couldn't bend my knee, couldn't climb the stairs. Even while sleeping, I felt pain when I straightened my knee. There was a lot of pain everywhere.”

The 26-year-old had played at the Olympics despite the shooting pain and was administered dexamethosone injection after her first match. But that didn’t help matters and Saina bowed out after losing to Maria Ulitina of Ukraine in her second group match. The question remained whether participating in Rio was worth the risk but Saina insisted that had she known about the seriousness of the injury, she probably wouldn’t have pushed herself.

“I didn't know before going that it was a bone spur. If I had known, I wouldn't have played. I'm more than happy leaving tournaments and being fit rather than injure myself. Because I don't want to stress myself. The body comes first. It's not about the tournaments. When you're not happy, when your mind is not there, you can’t really play.”

Once she arrived in India, she decided to fly to Mumbai to take an expert opinion from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, a sports orthopaedician at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. “When I met Dr Pardiwala, he was surprised that I was even able to play in Rio and said I needed surgery right away.”

Saina went under the knife on August 20 and after a spell spent on the sidelines getting her knee ready, she returned to the court earlier this week to ease into her training routine.

Her rehabilitation has been an intricately planned process with three different physiotherapists -- Heath Matthews, Chandan Poddar and Arvind Nigam -- offering their services and the Hyderabadi says she is just glad to be back on court.

“I'm very happy to be back. It is not easy right now because I'm starting after two and a half months of rehab,” she said.

“I am not sure how long it will take for me to get back in perfect shape. It is the beginning that is difficult because after so many months, I'm moving again. It's so tough to take even that little load as of now. So I can't say much at the moment.

“I'm just happy to be standing there and moving a little here and there. With time, the knee will become stronger and hopefully the sessions also will get tougher and tougher,” she added.

As she returns, she could encounter a few changes on the scene, with the Badminton World Federation experimenting a 11-point five-game scoring system.

“I am sure it will be interesting,” said Saina. “Every change seems interesting. Unless you play it you will never know. I would have said earlier that 11 points was more difficult than 21, but now I could say 11 is easier than 21. It's not about five games, it's about how fast those 11 points will get over.

“I think it is good for the players because anyone has a chance to win and it is even more open now. Any player can get to 11 points but after 11 is when the big players, players who are slow starters (get going). You have to be aggressive in each and every point now,” she added.

Returning from an injury isn’t always only about the player, it is also about the support systems available and in Vimal, Saina has a valuable asset to back her. The former Indian champion and national coach has played a key role in her rise to number one. Vimal said he believed Saina will bounce back stronger.

“She has really missed badminton. There wasn’t much she could do in the last two months so she has that energy and the will to get back. There won’t be an issue with her strokes and game, it is always about the strengthening the physical aspects.”

Vimal felt the timing of her return was entirely upto the player. “If she feels confident that she can compete and thinks her body is ready, then she must. The decision is hers since she knows best.

“It is too early to call right now but she looks good on court and has been moving well so she should be on top of her game and competing at the highest level in a month’s time.”