New Delhi: It was undoubtedly the biggest match of the day and Saina Nehwal admitted she was a "bit under pressure" while facing P V Sindhu for the first time when she took on her compatriot in an Indian Badminton League match between Hyderabad Hotspots and Awadh Warriors.
Saina notched up a straight-game victory over Sindhu in the women's singles competition to help Hyderabad secure a 3-2 victory over Warriors at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here today. "Actually, media hyped up our match so much otherwise we play each other everyday at the Pullela Gopichand academy. But since this match was so talked about, I felt a bit under pressure and it became a little tight in the beginning," said Saina after the match which she won 21-19 21-8.
Asked what strategy she had adopted when Sindhu opened up a substantial lead in the first game, Saina said, "There was no strategy. You have to keep changing your tactics seeing how your opponent is playing. I just concentrated on playing my natural game and give my best."
Saina, however, denied that she became aggressive when she was lagging behind in the opening game. "I always play aggressively. Initially, she played very well but you have to read your opponent's game quickly. You have to be just ready. It's not just about Sindhu but whosoever you are playing, and react accordingly. My focus was to be relaxed and play well," she said. "Overall we gave our best. Today, I was lucky to have won," she added.
Her side won the tie 3-2 but World No.4 Saina said it was more difficult to sit on the sidelines and cheer your teammates than playing yourself. "We were really nervous when the mixed doubles match was going on and it was swinging from one end to another. But at the end we won. I would like to thank our coaches and owners for supporting us," she said.
The Hyderabadi girl said Taufik Hidayat gave her some valuable tips during the match. "Taufik was telling me to stay relaxed. He said he faces the same kind of pressure while playing in Malaysia so he just told me how to handle it."
She insisted that if badminton infrastructure in the country improved further, the players would give a better account of themselves. "A little more push is required, infrastructure also needs to improve and we will definitely do better."
Saina predicted a close fight in every game as all the top players would be taking on each other. "The matches and the contests are not going to be easy as all the top players would play each other everyday. It would mostly be 3-2 finish."
Asked about the hectic schedule while travelling to different cities and playing, Saina said, "IPL is happening the same way. But I think when we travel to different places it would spread awareness about the sport. It would be hectic, no doubt, but in order to popularise the game we will have to do it. Next year is going to be even more hectic as there will be Commonwealth Games, then Asian Games and World Championships. It will be even more packed."
Yesterday, the matches finished around 1 am and the players had an early morning flight, which gave the players hardly any time to sleep. Some of the top players like Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had complained about it.