Hyderabad: Fresh after her confidence-boosting title wins in Thailand and Indonesia, India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is gearing for the Olympic challenge, but admits it won’t be easy.
Saina, who returned from Jakarta on Monday night to a warm welcome from her family, friends and well-wishers, told reporters on Tuesday that she expects a tough four to five-week preparation for London.
“Of course it will be really hard and I need to work on a few areas. I found some weak areas in my game in these two tournaments.”
The fifth seed, who defeated some of the top Chinese players in Thailand and Jakarta, feels it will not be easy playing them in London.
Saina defeated world number four Shixian Wang in the quarter-finals and world number three Xuerui Li in the final of Indonesian Open Super Series.
“The quarter final was the final for me because it was a one hour 40-minute match.
“We were dead on the court. I still can’t believe that I played such a long match,” she said.
Asked about the Chinese players, she said they fight for each and every point even if they are losing.
“It is very good to see that. It is not easy to beat them. You have to be alert and ready.”
She said she was taking every care to make sure that she doesn’t lose energy and strength, with her diet being of key importance to her overall condition.
On the pressure she faces, she said, “People expect me to win. They want me to do well but finally on the court I am playing. So I want to play for myself first, and then think of others.”
Saina said she was little tense playing the Thailand Open because the Indian Open was not as good.
Saina, who won the Indonesian Open for the third time, enjoys playing in that country, and appreciates the support she gets from the local fans. (IANS)