Saina Nehwal: The unlikely architect who changed Indian badminton forever | Badminton News – The Times of India

Saina Nehwal’s retirement, announced in a podcast, was generally met with a sense of boredom. The badminton world was off the circuit for almost two years and accepted the former world number 1’s absence like a receding hairline. The inevitable thing that happens to an athlete as the years and injuries pile up. Reassessment and retrospection followed almost immediately after Saina’s confession, although she refused to make her plans official. “I actually felt like I came into the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it.” Apparently she is quite nonchalant about her absence, but the history of Indian sports does not allow her to be.Saina Nehwal’s name will not only shine as a champion but also as a catalyst. Long before badminton became normal conversation, before packed stadiums and primetime broadcasts, before young girls across India picked up rackets with professional ambition, there was Saina – dreaming, daring and grinding on the courts, to challenge a global order dominated by China and Europe. Her legacy is not just defined by medals or rankings, but by the irreversible transformation she brought to Indian badminton.

Saina’s rise was neither coincidental nor convenient. Coming from a country where cricket overwhelms the sport’s imagination, she chose a path littered with little infrastructure, limited financial support and scant international exposure. But Saina emerged stronger from every setback and managed to turn setbacks into opportunities. In 2008, she announced her arrival on the world stage by becoming the first Indian woman to win the BWF World Junior Championships. The same year, her quarterfinal match at the Beijing Olympics marked another first for Indian badminton, indicating that India was ready to compete with the best.The milestones continued relentlessly. In 2009, Saina became the first Indian woman to win a BWF Super Series title at the Indonesia Open, a tournament long considered a fortress for badminton’s elite nations. Each victory reinforced the belief that Indians can make a mark in the sport worldwide. Saina didn’t just win matches; she showed how to blow away the windmills of the mind.Her defining moment came at the 2012 London Olympics where she won the bronze medal, albeit via a walkover, but it made her the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal. For India, the medal was historic; for Saina, it was an acknowledgment of years of sacrifice, pain and perseverance. It was also a moment that changed public perception. Badminton was no longer a niche sport; it had a national hero.

While the Olympic medal made Saina a champion, her rise to world No. 1 three years later anointed her a legend. She became the first Indian woman and only the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to reach the top world rankings. At a time when women’s singles badminton was fiercely competitive, Saina dared to challenge Chinese hegemony. Tournaments were described as ‘Saina versus China’, a phrase that captured her dominance and defiance as well as a country’s imagination.That climb to the top was very emotional. Saina herself admitted that she never dreamed of becoming world number 1; it was her mother’s dream that she would win an Olympic medal. When Carolina Marin’s defeat at the India Open confirmed her top spot, Saina struggled to put the moment into words. She wiped the sweat from her brow, looked at the Indian flag stitched into her kit and could only say: ‘Oh my God, world number 1…’ It was a moment of disbelief, humility and triumph – facets that would remain hallmarks of her career.But Saina’s legacy cannot be measured by the rankings alone. Over a career spanning nearly two decades, she won more than 24 international titles, including 11 Super Series titles, and achieved achievements such as becoming the first Indian woman to win two golds at the Commonwealth Games (2010 and 2018). These achievements reflect not only talent, but also extraordinary longevity in one of the most physically demanding sports.What really sets Saina apart from her contemporaries is her impact beyond the court. Her success fundamentally changed the place of badminton in India. The number of television viewers increased enormously. Corporate sponsorship followed. Saina is the first Indian female athlete to sign a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal. Badminton academies sprang up like mushrooms across the country. Parents who were once hesitant to support non-cricket careers began to see badminton as a viable profession.Coach Vimal Kumar, who guided her to the No. 1 ranking, told TOI, “You know, she really brought Indian women’s badminton to prominence because no woman has excelled so much on the world stage before that.”Most importantly, Saina has inspired a generation. PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and countless others grew up watching her battle the best in the world. Sindhu herself has often acknowledged Saina’s role in paving the way for Indian women in badminton. Where Saina walked alone, others followed with conviction.Her journey was never smooth. Injuries, coaching changes, dips in form and public scrutiny tested her resolve. Yet Saina’s work ethic – recognized by coaches like P Gopichand and Vimal Kumar – has never wavered. She changed cities, reinvented her game and adapted her style to stay competitive. Even as younger players emerged, Saina kept fighting, proving that resilience, not comfort, defines champions.The nation rewarded her with its highest sporting and civil honours: the Arjuna Award, Khel Ratna, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Yet her greatest distinction remains the revolution she sparked. Prakash Padukone introduced India to world badminton. Saina Nehwal led to the Renaissance. She made Indian badminton fearless, visible and ambitious. She showed that an Indian woman can dominate a global sport through courage, discipline and faith. She coded a new data architecture for success in an individual sport – and left the template for the rest to follow. Saina didn’t just play badminton. She changed Indian badminton forever.