An Olympian winner

Karate would have been her calling, but for the mistake she made in not holding her breath and exhaling — when a 90-kg man was standing on her stomach! Luckily, this episode did not give India’s shining badminton star Saina Nehwal, then only 8 years old, more discomfort than stomach pain for a few days.

But that was the end of karate and beginning of badminton, at a summer camp in Hyderabad where her scientist father was posted.

Saina’s interesting journey is sketched in Playing to Win . With a lot of encouragement from her mother, a badminton player who also coached her, Saina’s rigorous training began. During the first few years, it was a bit too much — “I was growing and my leg muscles would ache constantly.” She’d wake up in the night howling with pain, and her mother would massage her legs with almond oil.

Winning streak

By 1999, she was playing at the district level in the Under-10 tournaments; by Class VII, she was playing even national and international tournaments, so attendance at school was always a problem.

When she was 15, she decided to be a professional badminton player. In 2006, when she had to represent India at a tournament in the Philippines, she chose that over her exams. With hectic travel, her academic pursuits came to an end in 2008, when she was in Class XI. But she was invited to be the chief guest at her school sports day — and while introducing her, the Dean called her ‘Madam’. Hearing that, Saina“almost fell off the chair”!

For aspiring young sportspersons, this book has quite a few takeaways — on playing in international circuits; how rankings don’t really matter if you are focussed; how in two years her ranking moved up from 200 to 28, and by Jan 2009 she had moved up to No 9. The highlights of her career till now have been a Padma Shri in 2010, and, of course, the Olympic bronze medal.

Saina’s suitcase

The book has interesting nuggets on Saina’s most important games, her training schedules, her favourite badminton players as well as other sportspersons (Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar and Rafael Nadal in that order), and her daily diet.

A few years ago, while travelling in China, her coach P.Gopichand suggested she switch to non-vegetarian food to get the protein necessary for a sportsperson. Now chicken and fish are her favourite foods. Prone to putting on weight, she has slowed down on the delicious aloo parathas her mother makes…but after a win, she indulges in an ice cream!

The tone is chatty, the style simple, and the slim book can be read in one sitting. For those curious to know what Saina’s suitcase contains on those foreign trips, here is a list: 18 outfits for every tournament (as she needs to change thrice a day), a pair of Yonex badminton shoes, and of course, plenty of hair clips!