Tough Journey Awaits Saina Nehwal : Former Coach Vimal Kumar

Vimal Kumar: As Saina Nehwal couldn't qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, her former coach said that there a tough journey that awaits her. He also said that it is 'difficult' for Nehwal to chase another Olympics accounting for the consistent injuries that she has been facing.

The cancellation of the Singapore Open Badminton Tournament had severely affected the chances of Badminton star Saina Nehwal qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Further, Saina Nehwal was also battling severe injuries and indifferent form. All these factors led to the 31-year-old Badminton player Saina Nehwal not qualifying for the Olympics.

Badminton Coach Vimal Kumar in conversation with PTI said, "She came into the limelight in 2005-06 and has been a big trendsetter after Prakash Padukone." He further added that Saina Nehwal has been consistently playing for many years and it is sad that she couldn’t qualify this year for the Tokyo Olympics. Kumar also said that Nehwal has been a bit unlucky in the last two games.

Coach Vimal Kumar believes that the London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal can serve Indians for a few years. Further, the coach said that this assumption is made on the basis of Saina Newal's performance. Kumar said, "Her performance has seen a steady decline since January 2019 when she won the Indonesia final after Carolina Marin got injured. After that, she has not done anything remarkable. Of course, it was all COVID for most parts."

The interviewer then asked Vimal Kumar that whether it is possible for Saina to chase the next Olympics, Kumar said, "It is very difficult. She has been getting injured consistently." He further added that it is a tough task and that the Olympics shouldn’t be the priority for Saina Nehwal anymore.

Further, Kumar added that Saina Nehwal has Parupalli Kashyap as her coach now. Kumar said that if she can take care of her body to take the kind of intensity the sport needs then Saina can continue to play for a couple of years at least, and that will be good for other Indian players as well.

Who is Vimal Kumar?

Vimal Kumar is a badminton player from Kerala wh has also served as the Chief National Coach of India. He quit the post in 2006 to concentrate on coaching youngsters at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where he is the director. He has also coached Saina Nehwal in Bangalore.