Indian badminton legend Saina Nehwal feels there is a little bit of gap between the senior Indian shuttlers and the emerging, younger crop of players with the country.
The 2012 Olympics bronze medallist spoke in an exclusive interview to The Free Press Journal on the sidelines of the CXO Pickleball League launch.
India has had an underwhelming 2025 with Ayush Shetty's Super 300 win being the only title in the country's kitty.
"I think there's a little bit of gap and I can only say this as a player what I see from the matches is that they need to get more stronger. I feel the girls are more into the rallies side except PV Sindhu who is a very powerful player but the new generation of players are very much defensive like An Se-young and Akane Yamaguchi. All of them are excellent defensive players, so you really need to build up your stamina and become stronger and that's what is missing in the women's category I would say. In every country, you get that tough period and we are going through that period," she added.
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Saina felt there is a lot of promise among the men's players from India with Lakshya Sen leading from the front.
"In men's category, we have Lakshya Sen, we have Priyanshu. We have players who are very, very strong but it's just that injuries are a concern. So, the good the body is the longer you can play. We have talented players, so we just have to give them 2-3 years and see how it goes."
The three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist felt 2026 will be a big year for Indian badminton.
"It will be a big year for Indian badminton with the World Championships in the country and the Asian Games in Japan and it will show the strength of our game," she added.
Delving into her former compatriot and double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu's prospects going forward and especially at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Saina felt there was still a long way to go.
"There is a lot of time left for LA 28 and sometimes the players pick up their game in the last couple of weeks before the event. You never know how your body changes and how you are playing in the last two months. It depends on how she is in those two-three months. She's a big tournament player and she's always performed well in the big tournaments. When we look at 2028, we have to look at the player's age, how the top players are playing, are they in good condition or not. That's because at the Olympics you really need the experience and you need to be really strong in the mind and body."
Saina explained the strength of the mind is a major factor at the Olympics.
"There will be players from so many countries cheering around. So sometimes the mind takes over, but I feel Sindhu is someone who is very experienced. If she really wants to do well in the next Olympics, then she will have to keep her mind and body healthy but of course the age is catching up and that will be a task. She will have to be mentally prepared for that. In terms of her body, she is in good shape and if she continues in the same way, she will do well."
Saina was of the opinion that Lakshya Sen has to be more consistent to fully realise his potential.
"He has to be more consistent. He is doing well in one tournament and being inconsistent in eight other ones. So, he has to improve that. There should be consistency in the game like how Viktor Axelsen is playing. So these people are consistently getting results, so if you have to get results at the highest level, then you need to perform consistently also. When you are the highest level, you need to get the perfect team for yourself, so that you can perform well. Most of the time, he looks like he has injury issues, if he corrects that I feel he will be more consistent and get a medal at the next Olympics," she added.
The Hyderabad-based player also refused to stick her neck out and single out the next Sindhu.
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"We need to wait and watch as to who is the next Sindhu. There are 2-3 girls who are performing at the same level. Unnati Hooda is there, Anmol is doing well. Anupama is very good. But they are all at the same level until you win the title. We were consistently performing and winning medals at the Super Series, medals at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. So there were results consistently. They are all 18-19 and I feel with this generation, we both have to wait and see," she added.
The establishment of the National Centre for Excellence in Guwahati in 2023 was a big boon for Indian badminton and Saina vouched for the same.
"It's fantastic and I feel you need that kind of infrastructure to unearth good players. The Guwahati centre is also getting foreign players. They have so many players during the camps and these coaches are training them. The centres are all there and they're doing well and now I feel we need the results."
