I owe everything to my parents: Saina

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The last few weeks haven’t been easy for ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, as she battles an injured ankle. Her world ranking, which had touched a career high of second when the ankle gave way, has since gone down to fifth. And as she tries to heal the ankle and find her form again, she says she’s counting on her parents for their support.

Both parents, father Harvir Singh and mother Usha Nehwal, are former shuttlers themselves, and actively encouraged young Saina to take up the sport. Usha says the role of parents in grooming a child to become a top sportsperson is equally important. “I think that as a parent, one shouldn’t interfere much with the kids’ training. Yes, it is our duty to ensure that the kid gets the required boost and support. But pampering them could be counter productive. When Saina used to train, I used to watch her from the sidelines and if she wasted time or did something wrong, then I would wait till we reached home and then point out where she went wrong,” she said.
And Usha spotted the spark in young Saina long before any of her coaches did. She was the first one to point it out to Saina that she had it in her to become a world champion, and kept up her confidence since. And Saina acknowledges the effort and the role that Usha played during her formative years. “I idolise my parents. They supported me and believed in me and told me that I could do whatever I wanted to. I owe everything to them and coach P. Gopichand,” she said.