Nagpur, Oct 25 (TNN): Saina Nehwal blamed lack of full fitness for her string of early losses in the past one month.
The Indian ace lost in the quarterfinals of the French Open Super Series against Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand on Friday. It was the third consecutive below-par performance by Saina in recent times. In the previous two tournaments, the Japan Open and Denmark Open, Saina could not progress beyond the second round. This has resulted in Saina slipping to No. 2 in world rankings as Carolina Marin of Spain is back on top.
Saina admitted that she is not fully fit and that is affecting her game. "I had some pain in my right leg after the World Championships, so it is taking me time to get 100 percent fit. It's an Olympic year so there is no time to take break. I cannot afford to miss any tournament to protect my ranking," Saina told TOI from Paris.
The 25-year-old produced a sensational performance to storm into the final of the World Championships in Jakarta in August. She was on the verge of becoming the first world champion from India but Spanish girl Marin shattered the Indian's hopes in an exciting final. In reaching the final, Saina stretched herself too much which caused an injury to her right leg which has stopped her from playing to full potential. "I will have to get fully fit first. That is my top priority now. Performance will automatically take care of itself once I manage to attain my peak fitness," said Saina.
The London Olympic bronze medallist is not bothered about losing the world No. 1 ranking to Marin. "I don't know when I will regain my top ranking. It is not in my hands. Giving performance is in my hands and I will do that," said Saina, who trains under Vimal Kumar in Bangalore.
She is flying back to India from Paris and will rest for a few days preparing for her next challenge, the China Open Super Series Premier slated to be held in Fujjan from November 10 to 15. "I hope to make the most of these couple of weeks. Hopefully the pain will vanish before I fly to China. I want to be fit and healthy," said Saina.