Saina Nehwal
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Saina Nehwal (; born 17 March 1990) is an Indian professional
badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was able to attain the world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and overall the second Indian player – after
Prakash Padukone Prakash Padukone (born 10 June 1955) is a former Indian badminton player. He was ranked World No. 1 in 1980; the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. He was awarded the Arjuna award in 1972 ...
– to achieve this feat. She has represented India three times in the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, winning a bronze medal in her second appearance at
London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. Nehwal has achieved several milestones in badminton for India. She is the only Indian to have won at least one medal in every BWF major individual event, namely the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, the
BWF World Championships The BWF World Championships, formerly known as IBF World Championships, and also known as the World Badminton Championships, is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). The tournament is one of the most prestigious i ...
, and the
BWF World Junior Championships The BWF World Junior Championships (also known as the World Junior Badminton Championships) is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to crown the best junior badminton players (under-19) in the world. The championships is ...
. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, the first Indian to have reached the final of the BWF World Championships, and the first Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships. In 2006, Nehwal became the first Indian female and the youngest Asian to win a 4-star tournament. She is also the first Indian to win a Super Series title. In the 2014 Uber Cup, she captained the Indian team and remained undefeated, helping India to win a first-ever Uber Cup bronze medal. Nehwal also became the first Indian to win two singles gold medals (2010 and 2018) at the
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
. Considered one of India's most successful badminton players, Nehwal is credited for increasing the popularity of
badminton in India Badminton is a popular sport in India. It is the second-most played sport in India after Cricket. Badminton in India is managed by the Badminton Association of India. Indian shuttlers P. V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, H. S. Prannoy, and the doubles p ...
. In 2016, she was conferred the
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
– India's third highest civilian award. Previously, she had also received the nation's top two sporting honours, namely the
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...
and the
Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
. Nehwal is a
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and was ranked 18th on the list of most charitable athletes in 2015.


Early life

Saina Nehwal, the daughter of Harvir Singh Nehwal and Usha Rani Nehwal, was born in Hisar. She has only one sibling, an elder sister named Chandranshu Nehwal. Her father, who has a PhD in agricultural science,Get to know Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal
Olympic.org, 18 May 2018.
worked at
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University is a public funded agricultural university located at Hisar in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the biggest agricultural university in Asia. The university has of land (around at ma ...
. She completed her first few years of schooling at Campus School CCS HAU, Hisar. She finished 12th grade from the St. Ann's College for Women,
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. When her father was promoted and transferred from
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
to
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, she took up badminton at the age of eight to express herself, as she did not know the local language well enough to socialise with other kids. Her parents played badminton for a number of years. Her mother, Usha Rani, was a state level badminton player in Haryana. Nehwal took up badminton to fulfill her mother's dream of becoming a national level badminton player, while her sister played volleyball. Her father, who was among the top players in the university circuit, used his
provident fund Provident fund is another name for pension fund. Its purpose is to provide employees with lump sum payments at the time of exit from their place of employment. This differs from pension funds, which have elements of both lump sum as well as monthly ...
to invest in good badminton training for her. After moving to Hyderabad in 1998, she was enrolled in a
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
class by her parents, which she continued for a year and earned a brown belt. She trained under
Pullela Gopichand Pullela Gopichand (born 16 November 1973) is a former Indian badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second In ...
in his academy
Gopichand Badminton Academy Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) is a badminton training facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 2008 by the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion, Pullela Gopichand, the facility trains several badminton players such ...
. In 2014, she parted with Gopichand and joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and trained under
U. Vimal Kumar U. Vimal Kumar is an Indian badminton player . He won the Indian National title consecutively for two years, 1988 and 1989. He also served as Chief National Coach of India. He is the Co Founder, Director and Chief Coach in Prakash Padukone Ba ...
under whose training she became World number one; she later in 2017 returned to train under Gopichand. In his book Dreams of a Billion: India and the Olympic Games’, Gopichand said that he felt miserable when she left him and went to train in Bangalore.


Career


2005–2007

In 2005, at the age of 15, Nehwal has won an Asian Satellite tournament in New Delhi, beating
Aparna Popat Aparna Popat (born 18 January 1978) is a former Indian badminton player. She was India's national champion for a record equaling nine times when she won all the senior national championships between 1997 and 2006. Early life Aparna Popat was ...
in the final in straight games. In 2006, Nehwal became the under-19 national champion and claimed her second Indian Asian Satellite tournament. In May, at age 16, she became the first Indian woman and the youngest player from Asia to win a 4-star tournament – the Philippines Open. Entering the tournament as the 86th seed, she went on to stun several top-seeded players including the then world number two
Huaiwen Xu Huaiwen Xu (; born 2 August 1975) is a German badminton player. Born in Guiyang, Guizhou, China, she decided to play for Germany because the Chinese thought that she was too short to play professional world badminton.Said by David Mercer/ Gill ...
before defeating Julia Wong Pei Xian of Malaysia for the title. A few months after she entered the International badminton circuit, Nehwal participated at the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
where she lost to
Jiang Yanjiao Jiang Yanjiao (; born 26 June 1986), is a Chinese badminton player from Changzhou. She graduated from the Huaqiao University. Career A winner of both the BWF World Junior Championships (2002) and the Asian Junior Championships (2004), Jiang has ...
of China. The same year Nehwal reached the final of 2006 BWF World Junior Championships where she lost a hard-fought match against top seed Chinese
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
. She also competed at the
Doha Asian Games Doha Asian Games may refer to two different Asian Games held in Doha: * 2006 Asian Games * 2030 Asian Games, ''future event'' {{disambiguation ...
. In 2007, at a very young age of 17, Nehwal went on to take part in the All England, where she challenged experienced Wang Chen in round 2, but went down in 3 games 21–17, 13–21, 16–21. She represented India at the
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugura ...
in Scotland. At the
2007 BWF World Championships The 2007 BWF World Championships is the 16th tournament of BWF World Championships (World Badminton Championships). It was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 13 to 19 August 2007. Host city selection Aarhus and Kuala Lumpur were the candida ...
, she won her opening matches against
Jeanine Cicognini Jeanine Cicognini (born 14 November 1986) is a Swiss badminton player who now represents Italy. Cicognini won her first Swiss senior title at age 16 and has since won the award seven more times. Biography In 2005, she won the silver medal at th ...
of Switzerland and 13th seed
Juliane Schenk Juliane Schenk (born 26 November 1982) is a German badminton player. In March 2014 she retired from international play. Career In 2001, she won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women's doubles with Nic ...
of Germany, but lost the next round to French
Pi Hongyan Pi Hongyan (; born 25 January 1979) is a former Chinese badminton player, who later represented France. Career Pi Hongyan is one of a number of talented Chinese-born badminton players who have emigrated from China, in part, because of the inte ...
with score 13–21, 17–21. She was a finalist at the Indian International challenge in 2007 where she lost to
Kanako Yonekura is a badminton player from Japan. Yonekura won the gold in women's singles of the badminton tournament in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, by defeating Gong Zhichao of People's Republic of China in the final. She played badminton at the 2004 Sum ...
in 2 games.


2008

Two years after losing the final to
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
, she became the first Indian to win World Junior Championships by defeating ninth seeded Japanese
Sayaka Sato is a Japanese badminton player. She competed for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Achievements BWF World Junior Championships ''Girls' singles'' BWF Superseries The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 200 ...
21–9, 21–18. She participated in the
2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
where she was unseeded. She began her fight with a win against Russian Ella Diehl (2–0) in round 1 and Ukrainian
Larisa Griga Larisa Valeriïvna Griga ( uk, Лариса Валеріївна Грига Larysa Valeriivna Hryha; born 31 May 1984) is a badminton player from Ukraine. She was the gold medalist at the 2003 European Junior Championships in the girls' singles ...
(2–0) in second round. She became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals when she upset reigning Asian Games champion number four seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller. In the quarter-finals Nehwal lost a 3-gamer to world number 16
Maria Kristin Yulianti Maria Kristin Yulianti (born 25 June 1985) is an Indonesian badminton player. She is a bronze medalist in Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's singles, women's singles at the 2008 Olympics. Career 2004 Yulianti played in some s ...
. Nehwal was leading 11–3 in the decider but could not hold on against her opponent and lost the match by a 28–26, 14–21, 15–21 scoreline. In September 2008, she won the
Chinese Taipei Open The Taipei Open, formerly named the Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold (2007–2017) and Chinese Taipei Open (2018–2019), is an open badminton international championships held in Taiwan since the 1970s, but they took place only in irregular pe ...
2008 beating
Lyddia Cheah Lyddia Cheah Li Ya (; born 8 September 1989, also known as ''Lyddia Cheah Yi Yu'') is a Malaysian badminton player. Her younger sister, Soniia Cheah Su Ya is also a badminton player. In 2010, she competed at the Commonwealth Games in India. ...
of Malaysia 21–8, 21–19. She was also a semifinalist at the China Masters Superseries after she beat reigning World Champion Zhu Lin in quarterfinals. Nehwal won the Commonwealth Youth Games by beating her compatriot
N. Sikki Reddy Nelakurihi Sikki Reddy (born 18 August 1993) is an Indian badminton player who plays doubles and mixed doubles. In 2016, she won the Brazil and Russia Open Grand Prix title in the mixed doubles event partnered with Pranaav Chopra. She and Cho ...
in two games. Nehwal was named "The Most Promising Player" by the Badminton World Federation in 2008. She qualified for the season ending Superseries Finals which consists of most consistent players of the year. She defeated
Pi Hongyan Pi Hongyan (; born 25 January 1979) is a former Chinese badminton player, who later represented France. Career Pi Hongyan is one of a number of talented Chinese-born badminton players who have emigrated from China, in part, because of the inte ...
and
Wong Mew Choo Datin Wong Mew Choo (born 1 May 1983) is a Malaysian former badminton singles player. She was known for her exceptional stamina and endurance. Without any significant attacking weapons, she initially built her game on her ability to endure lon ...
in early rounds. She lost to
Tine Rasmussen Tine Baun (née Rasmussen; born 21 July 1979) is a Danish former badminton player. Most notably, she won the All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title three times in 2008, 2010, and 2013 – the last of these being her final ...
in round 3. She entered semifinals but lost to Wang Chen with scores 21–15, 14–21, 16–21.


2009

In June, she became the first Indian to win a
BWF Super Series The BWF Super Series was a series of Grade 2 badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007. Since 2011, the Super Series includes two levels of tournament, ...
title, the most prominent badminton series of the world by winning the Indonesia Open. She beat Chinese Wang Lin in the final 12–21, 21–18, 21–9. Nehwal on winning the tournament said, "I had been longing to win a super series tournament since my quarter final appearance at the Olympics". She is at par with the likes of
Prakash Padukone Prakash Padukone (born 10 June 1955) is a former Indian badminton player. He was ranked World No. 1 in 1980; the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. He was awarded the Arjuna award in 1972 ...
and her mentor
Pullela Gopichand Pullela Gopichand (born 16 November 1973) is a former Indian badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second In ...
who both won the all England championships which are of similar status to the super series. In August, she reached to the quarterfinals of the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, losing to the second seed Wang Lin. She qualified for the season ending Superseries Finals in December, where she lost the opening match to
Wong Mew Choo Datin Wong Mew Choo (born 1 May 1983) is a Malaysian former badminton singles player. She was known for her exceptional stamina and endurance. Without any significant attacking weapons, she initially built her game on her ability to endure lon ...
(eventual champion) but won the next two group matches against
Porntip Buranaprasertsuk Porntip Buranaprasertsuk ( th, พรทิพย์ บูรณะประเสริฐสุข; born 24 October 1991) is a Thai badminton player. Buranaprasertsuk won her first Superseries title in 2011 India Open on 1 May 2011, becoming ...
and Canada's Charmaine Reid. She again reached the semifinals of this tournament but went down, this time to Germany's
Juliane Schenk Juliane Schenk (born 26 November 1982) is a German badminton player. In March 2014 she retired from international play. Career In 2001, she won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women's doubles with Nic ...
. She won India Grand Prix tournament later in the year, defeating compatriot Aditi Mutatkar in the final with scores 21–17, 21–13.


2010

Nehwal became the first Indian woman to reach the semi finals of All England Open before losing to eventual champion
Tine Rasmussen Tine Baun (née Rasmussen; born 21 July 1979) is a Danish former badminton player. Most notably, she won the All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title three times in 2008, 2010, and 2013 – the last of these being her final ...
. Top seeded Nehwal reached the semifinals of
Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...
, losing out to unseeded eventual champion
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
of China, settling for bronze medal. Her coach
Pullela Gopichand Pullela Gopichand (born 16 November 1973) is a former Indian badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second In ...
advised her not put too much pressure on herself due to the overwhelming home crowd support. Nehwal won the India Open Grand Prix Gold, beating
Wong Mew Choo Datin Wong Mew Choo (born 1 May 1983) is a Malaysian former badminton singles player. She was known for her exceptional stamina and endurance. Without any significant attacking weapons, she initially built her game on her ability to endure lon ...
of Malaysia in the final and thus justifying her billing as top seed in the tournament. Nehwal, again seeded number 1, won the Singapore Open, by beating qualifier
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
of Chinese Taipei in the final with the score of 21–18, 21–15 having defeated World Champion
Lu Lan Lu Lan (born 2 May 1987) is a badminton player from China. Career In 2004, she won the Polish Open. In 2006, she won the Korea Open and finished the year in the 5th position in the BWF World Ranking. In 2007, she won the Denmark Super Series ...
earlier in the semifinal. Nehwal reached a career high of world no. 3 in the women's singles badminton world rankings on 24 June 2010. She defended her Indonesia Open title in three tough games against
Sayaka Sato is a Japanese badminton player. She competed for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Achievements BWF World Junior Championships ''Girls' singles'' BWF Superseries The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 200 ...
, 21–19, 13–21, 21–11. This was her third Super Series title and her third successive title following wins at Indian and Singapore Open Super Series. On 15 July 2010, with 64791.26 points, Nehwal reached a career high world ranking of number 2 only behind
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
of China. Second seed Nehwal, a tournament favourite, crashed out of the
2010 BWF World Championships 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
in Paris after losing to 4th ranked Chinese
Wang Shixian Wang Shixian (; ; born 13 February 1990) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is a former World No. 1 in women's singles. Career Wang Shixian was admitted into Chinese Junior National Team in 2005 and was soon promoted to ...
in straight sets 8–21, 14–21. As on 27 September 2010, Nehwal dropped to number 7 ranking after giving a miss to
China Masters The Fuzhou China Open, formerly known as China Masters, is an annual badminton tournament held in China. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007. In 2014 the level of the tournament was downgraded to BWF Grand Prix Gold because, ...
and Japan Open due to her preparation for the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
. Top seed Nehwal won the gold medal in the women's singles in the
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
held in
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
. after beating
Wong Mew Choo Datin Wong Mew Choo (born 1 May 1983) is a Malaysian former badminton singles player. She was known for her exceptional stamina and endurance. Without any significant attacking weapons, she initially built her game on her ability to endure lon ...
of Malaysia 19–21, 23–21, 21–13. After her win Nehwal said, "when I was a match-point down, it was like a shock. It was a big match and winning it means a lot to me. Even many years from now, those present here will always remember how Saina won the gold. It is a proud feeling". Nehwal confirmed her participation for the Hong Kong Open after a gap of more than five months since her win in the Indonesia Open in June 2010. On 12 December 2010, she defeated
Wang Shixian Wang Shixian (; ; born 13 February 1990) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is a former World No. 1 in women's singles. Career Wang Shixian was admitted into Chinese Junior National Team in 2005 and was soon promoted to ...
15–21, 21–16, 21–17 in the final of the Hong Kong Open to win her fourth career Super Series title.


2011

2nd seeded Nehwal beat
Sung Ji-hyun Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
of South Korea 21–13, 21–14 to win the
Swiss Open The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the tournament was prefixed with Eu ...
title. Nehwal faltered after a good start as she lost to the then world number three Wang Xin of China in the finals to finish runner-up in the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold tournament. She was a part of Indian team in the
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugura ...
mixed team who managed to reach the quarterfinals of this elite mixed team event for the first time ever, as India managed to beat Thailand 3–2, even when Nehwal lost her tie against
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
. In the quarterfinals against China, Nehwal put up her best performance and beat the then world number two Wang Xin with 21–15, 21–11, but still the Chinese managed to move into the semi finals with a 3–1 win over
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. In attempt to record a third straight win at the Indonesian Open, she reached the finals once more where she lost to
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
of China to finish as runner-up, on 26 June. Nehwal crashed out of the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
as she lost 15–21, 10–21 to Wang Xin. Nehwal, who reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions of the event, had to be content with yet another last-eight finish. During the season ending tournament
2011 BWF Super Series Masters Finals The 2011 BWF Super Series Finals was a top level badminton competition which was held from December 14 to December 18, 2011 in Liuzhou, China. The final was held by Chinese Badminton Association and sponsored by Li-Ning. It was the final event of ...
in Liuzhou in December, Nehwal won her all group matches against
Bae Yeon-ju Bae Yeon-ju (Hangul: 배연주, Hanja: 裵延姝; ; born 26 October 1990) is a retired international badminton player from South Korea. Career Bae started playing badminton at aged 10, and first gained international attention in 2006 when she ...
,
Sayaka Sato is a Japanese badminton player. She competed for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Achievements BWF World Junior Championships ''Girls' singles'' BWF Superseries The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 200 ...
and Wang Xin and once again reached the semifinals. She created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the final after defeating World number 5
Tine Baun Tine Baun (née Rasmussen; born 21 July 1979) is a Danish former badminton player. Most notably, she won the All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title three times in 2008, 2010, and 2013 – the last of these being her final ...
of Denmark scoring 21–17, 21–18 win. She lost the final 21–18, 13–21, 13–21 against the World No. 1
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
in a contest lasting over an hour.


2012

Nehwal successfully defended her
Swiss Open The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the tournament was prefixed with Eu ...
title by defeating
Wang Shixian Wang Shixian (; ; born 13 February 1990) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is a former World No. 1 in women's singles. Career Wang Shixian was admitted into Chinese Junior National Team in 2005 and was soon promoted to ...
21–19, 21–16 on 18 March, a day after she turned 22 years old. On 10 June, she defeated Thailand's
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
19–21, 21–15, 21–10, to lift the Thailand Open title. On 17 June, Nehwal won the third consecutive Indonesia Open by defeating
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
, a player who was on 30 match winning streak with most dominant performance in the season so far with scores 13–21, 22–20, 21–19. At the London Olympics, Nehwal was seeded 4th in the draw. In the group stage she defeated Swiss
Sabrina Jaquet Sabrina Jaquet (born 21 June 1987) is a former Swiss badminton player. She won a bronze medal at the 2017 European Championships. Jaquet competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was ...
(2–0) and Belgian
Lianne Tan Lianne Tan (born 20 November 1990) is a Belgian badminton player. She competed for Belgium at the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was selected to participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics, together with her brother Yuhan. ...
both in straight games. She reached the knockout phase where she defeated Dutch
Yao Jie Yao Jie (; born 10 April 1977) is a Chinese-born badminton player who now resides in the Netherlands. Yao is one of a number of badminton players who have emigrated from China, in part, because the depth of badminton talent in that country ...
with scores 21–14, 21–16. She then faced
Tine Baun Tine Baun (née Rasmussen; born 21 July 1979) is a Danish former badminton player. Most notably, she won the All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title three times in 2008, 2010, and 2013 – the last of these being her final ...
, the number 5 seed whom she defeated with 21–15, 22–20 scoreline. She afterwards advanced to semifinals where she lost to top seed
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
in two straight games 13–21, 13–21. On 4 August, she won the bronze medal when Wang Xin retired from the bronze medal playoff with an injury after taking the first game. On 21 October, she won the
Denmark Open The Denmark Open, or formerly known as Danish Open, is an annual badminton tournament held in Denmark and organized by Badminton Denmark. The Denmark Open was part of the BWF Super Series Premier from 2011 to 2017. BWF categorised it as one of ...
after defeating Germany's
Juliane Schenk Juliane Schenk (born 26 November 1982) is a German badminton player. In March 2014 she retired from international play. Career In 2001, she won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women's doubles with Nic ...
. Nehwal successfully entered the finals of
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, but she lost against
Minatsu Mitani is a retired Japanese badminton player who is a singles specialist from NTT East badminton club. She competed at the 2014 Asian Games. Mitani expressed her desire to retire after losing in the second round of 73rd All Japan Comprehensive Champ ...
in straight sets. She participated at the season ending Superseries Finals. In the group stage, she lost to
Tine Baun Tine Baun (née Rasmussen; born 21 July 1979) is a Danish former badminton player. Most notably, she won the All England Open Badminton Championships women's singles title three times in 2008, 2010, and 2013 – the last of these being her final ...
(1–2), won against
Juliane Schenk Juliane Schenk (born 26 November 1982) is a German badminton player. In March 2014 she retired from international play. Career In 2001, she won the European Junior Championships in women's singles. 2003 saw her win the women's doubles with Nic ...
(2–0) & lost the 3rd match to
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
(0–2). She reached the semifinals but lost a well contested match to
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
in 3 games, 20–22, 21–7, 13–21.


2013–2014

In 2013, Nehwal reached the semifinal of All England Open also but was defeated by 3-time World Junior Champion
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
. She has yet another quarterfinal finish at the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, after going down to Korean
Bae Yeon-ju Bae Yeon-ju (Hangul: 배연주, Hanja: 裵延姝; ; born 26 October 1990) is a retired international badminton player from South Korea. Career Bae started playing badminton at aged 10, and first gained international attention in 2006 when she ...
with score 21–23, 9–21. She qualified for the season ending Superseries Finals held at Kuala Lumpur where she lost to
Minatsu Mitani is a retired Japanese badminton player who is a singles specialist from NTT East badminton club. She competed at the 2014 Asian Games. Mitani expressed her desire to retire after losing in the second round of 73rd All Japan Comprehensive Champ ...
and
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
, but won the last group match against Bae Yeon-ju in 3 games. However, she failed to progress to the semifinals. On 26 January 2014, Nehwal defeated World Championship bronze medalist P.V. Sindhu 21–14, 21–17 to win the India Grand Prix Gold tournament. In the final of
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
on 29 June, Nehwal defeated Spain's
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
21–18, 21–11 to win the title. She withdrew from
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
due to fitness Issue and injury problems she carried during Australian Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
again, this time to
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
. She was the quarter-finalist at the
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
as well, where she lost to
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
. She became the first Indian player to win the China Open by beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21–12, 22–20 in the final. She contested at the Superseries Finals and won all of her group matches against top seed
Wang Shixian Wang Shixian (; ; born 13 February 1990) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is a former World No. 1 in women's singles. Career Wang Shixian was admitted into Chinese Junior National Team in 2005 and was soon promoted to ...
(2–0),
Bae Yeon-ju Bae Yeon-ju (Hangul: 배연주, Hanja: 裵延姝; ; born 26 October 1990) is a retired international badminton player from South Korea. Career Bae started playing badminton at aged 10, and first gained international attention in 2006 when she ...
(2–1) &
Sung Ji-hyun Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
(2–0). She reached the semifinals once more, but lost to eventual champion
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
21–11, 13–21, 9–21.


2015

Defending champion Nehwal won the Syed Modi International by defeating
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
in the final. She became the first Indian woman shuttler to reach the finals of the All England Open, but lost to Marín in the final. On 29 March, Nehwal won her maiden women's singles title at the
India Open The India Open is an annual badminton event which has been held in India since 2008 and is a BWF World Tour Super 750 international badminton tournament. Its first three editions were designated as Grand Prix Gold events. In 2011, it was upgr ...
, by beating
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
. This assured her of becoming World number 1 when the latest BWF rankings were released on 2 April. With this, she became the first Indian player to achieve this feat in Women's category. At the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
held in Jakarta, Nehwal was seeded 2nd. She defeated Cheung Ngan Yi and
Sayaka Takahashi is a retired Japanese badminton player who was a singles specialist. She was the bronze medalist at the 2013 and 2014 Asian Championships. Takahashi reached a career high as world number 10 in the BWF World Ranking in February 2019. Personal ...
in early rounds and reached the quarterfinals where she faced Chinese
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
. She was able to beat her in 3 games 21–15, 19–21, 21–19; thus assured herself of first ever medal at the World Championships. She beat home hope Lindaweni Fanetri in the semifinal and created history by becoming first ever player from India to contest World badminton championship finals. She settled for the silver after going down to
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
in final. Defending champion Nehwal fought hard before going down to
Li Xuerui Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
in the final of the China Open. She took part at the Season Ending Championships where she lost against
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
and
Nozomi Okuhara is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
but won against
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
, a player she struggled to beat in the whole year, in one of the group matches. However she failed to reach the knockout phase.


2016

Nehwal dealt with injuries in early 2016 but she eventually recovered. She reached the semifinals of the
Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...
after defeating the third seed
Wang Shixian Wang Shixian (; ; born 13 February 1990) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is a former World No. 1 in women's singles. Career Wang Shixian was admitted into Chinese Junior National Team in 2005 and was soon promoted to ...
but settled for bronze medal, after losing to
Wang Yihan Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was ...
16–21, 14–21. At the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, Nehwal went into the finals after beating
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
in quarters and Wang Yihan in semifinals. She defeated China's Sun Yu in the final by 11–21, 21–14, 21–19. Making her third appearance at the Olympics, Nehwal, the fifth seed, won her opening match against the unseeded
Lohaynny Vicente Lohaynny Caroline de Oliveira Vicente (born 2 May 1996) is a Brazilian badminton player who has qualified to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in her home city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Personal life Vicente was born on 2 May 1996 in Rio d ...
in straight games. However, she lost her second match against the world no. 61 from Ukraine
Marija Ulitina Mariia Viktorivna Ulitina ( ua, Марія Вікторівна Улітіна; also transliterated as Mariya or Marija, born 5 November 1991) is a badminton player from Ukraine and the National Champion of Ukraine. She represented Ukraine in t ...
by 18–21, 19–21, thereby making an exit at the group stage. Her coach cited the week-old knee injury for her below par performance. She was appointed as a member of
IOC Athletes' Commission International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission (IOC AC) is a majority elected body that serves as a link between athletes and the IOC. The mission of the IOC AC is to ensure that athletes' viewpoint remains at the heart of the Olympic Movemen ...
in October. She was also chosen as an Integrity Ambassador in BWF's Campaign – "I am Badminton" in December to promote clean and fair play in the sport.


2017

Nehwal went on to win Malaysia Masters by defeating
Pornpawee Chochuwong Pornpawee Chochuwong ( th, พรปวีณ์ ช่อชูวงศ์; born 22 January 1998) is a Thai badminton player. She was the girls' singles silver medalist at the 2015 Asian and 2016 World Junior Championships. She was also part ...
with score 22–20, 22–20. She couldn't do well much of the year due to injury; she was still recovering. She was seeded 12th in the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
at Glasgow. She ousted
Sabrina Jaquet Sabrina Jaquet (born 21 June 1987) is a former Swiss badminton player. She won a bronze medal at the 2017 European Championships. Jaquet competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was ...
in round 1. She beat 2nd seed
Sung Ji-hyun Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
in round of 16 and reached quarterfinals for 7th straight time. She had to dug deep into her reservoir to eke out a 21–19, 18–21, 21–15 win over world no. 31
Kirsty Gilmour Kirsty Gilmour (born 21 September 1993) is a Scottish badminton player who has represented both Scotland and Great Britain. Career Gilmour won the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, losing out to Michelle Li of Canada in the fina ...
of Scotland in the quarterfinal. However, she lost the semifinal to eventual winner
Nozomi Okuhara is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
of Japan, thus won the bronze medal. She then won the 82nd national badminton championship by beating
P. V. Sindhu Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995) is an Indian badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at th ...
in the final.


2018

Nehwal reached the finals of the
Indonesia Masters The Indonesia Masters is an international badminton tournament in BWF World Tour Super 500 (Super 750 in 2021). Formerly known as the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, it was first held in 2010 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, and change its venue in ...
. En route to the finals she beat 3 seeded players Chen Yufei,
P. V. Sindhu Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995) is an Indian badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at th ...
and
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
. However she finished second-best after losing the final to Tai Tzu-ying. She won her second gold in
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
women's singles after beating P. V. Sindhu in the final and led the Indian team to another gold medal in the mixed team event. She then clinched a bronze in the
Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...
which was her third medal in the tournament altogether, as she went down fighting to the defending champion
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
. At the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, Nehwal was seeded 10th. She outgunned Turkish Aliye Demirbağ and advanced to next round. She further ousted 4th seed Ratchanok Intanon and reached World Championships quarter-final for record 8th straight time. She lost tamely to
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
there, in an unexpectedly lop-sided clash. Nehwal was unseeded at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. She defeated Iran's Sorayya Aghaei in round of 32 and Indonesia's
Fitriani Fitriani (born 27 December 1998) is an Indonesian badminton player specializing in women's singles and women's doubles discipline affiliated with Exist club. She won team silver at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and bronze medals at the 2017 Sout ...
in second round both in straight games. She then won the quarterfinal, after making a stunning comeback against 4th seeded
Ratchanok Intanon Ratchanok Intanon ( th, รัชนก อินทนนท์, , ; born 5 February 1995) is a Thai badminton player who became the first Thai to become No.1 in women's singles. She is known for her relaxed hitting motion and light footwork, w ...
, when she was 3–12 down in Game 1 but eventually won it in 2 games thus made it to the semifinals. She made history by winning the first medal for India in badminton after a long wait of 36 years. She lost to
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
in the semifinal, winning a bronze medal. She achieved a rare feat by winning medals from the quintet of badminton tournaments – the Olympics, the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Championships and the Asian Games. At the
Denmark Open The Denmark Open, or formerly known as Danish Open, is an annual badminton tournament held in Denmark and organized by Badminton Denmark. The Denmark Open was part of the BWF Super Series Premier from 2011 to 2017. BWF categorised it as one of ...
, Nehwal was unseeded. She defeated Hongkonger Cheung Ngan Yi scoring 20–22, 21–17, 24–22 in her favour. She then defeated 2 tough Japanese opponents in successive rounds; beating Akane Yamaguchi and
Nozomi Okuhara is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
. After an easy win against Indonesia's
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung Gregoria Mariska Tunjung Cahyaningsih (born 11 August 1999) is an Indonesian badminton player who plays in the singles event. Her club is PB. Mutiara Cardinal in Bandung, West Java, and entered the national team in 2013. She won the girls' sing ...
in semifinal, she met her arch-rival and the no.1 seed
Tai Tzu-ying Tai Tzu-ying (; born 20 June 1994) is a Taiwanese badminton player. At the age of 22, she became BWF World Ranking#Women's singles, world No. 1 in the women's singles in December 2016, and she is the women's singles player who has held that ...
. In the past 16 meetings Tai had won 11 and Nehwal wanted to break that jinx but couldn't managed and went down by 13–21, 21–13, 6–21. Nehwal went into the finals of Syed Modi Badminton Super 300 tournament but lost to
Han Yue Han Yue (; born 18 November 1999) is a Chinese badminton player. She won the girls' singles title at the 2017 Asian Junior Championships, and the mixed team title at the World Junior Championships. Han was part of the national team that won the ...
of China.


2019

She won her first BWF Super 500 title, the
Indonesia Masters The Indonesia Masters is an international badminton tournament in BWF World Tour Super 500 (Super 750 in 2021). Formerly known as the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, it was first held in 2010 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, and change its venue in ...
, against
Carolina Marín Carolina María Marín Martín (born 15 June 1993) is a Spanish professional badminton player. She is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, six-time European Champion, and the former World's No. 1 in BWF rankings for the women's si ...
, after the latter retired from the court injured. Defending her national championship title in Guwahati, Assam, Nehwal refused to play her singles match citing poor playing surface, and went on to win the National Championship by defeating top seed
P. V. Sindhu Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995) is an Indian badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at th ...
21–18, 21–15. This was her 4th National title. Her consistent record at the World Championships came to an end after she lost to
Mia Blichfeldt Mia Blichfeldt (born 19 August 1997) is a Danish badminton player. She won the gold medals at the 2015 European Junior Championships in the girls' singles event, and later at the 2019 Minsk European Games in the women's singles event. Career ...
in pre-quarterfinal in 3 hard fought games 21–15, 25–27, 12–21.


Achievements


Olympic Games

''Women's singles''


BWF World Championships

''Women's singles''


Commonwealth Games

''Women's singles''


Asian Games

''Women's singles''


Asian Championships

''Women's singles''


BWF World Junior Championships

''Girls' singles''


Commonwealth Youth Games

''Girls' singles''


BWF World Tour (1 title, 3 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100. ''Women's singles''


BWF Superseries (10 titles, 5 runners-up)

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year. ''Women's singles'' :
BWF Superseries Finals The BWF Super Series Finals (named as BWF Super Series Masters Finals until 2009) was an annual badminton tournament held at the end of the year where the players with the most points from that calendar year's twelve events of the BWF Super Series c ...
tournament : BWF Superseries Premier tournament :
BWF Superseries The BWF Super Series was a series of Grade 2 badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007. Since 2011, the Super Series includes two levels of tournament, ...
tournament


BWF Grand Prix (10 titles, 1 runner-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006. ''Women's singles'' : BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament : BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament


BWF International Challenge/Series/Satellite (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

''Women's singles'' :
BWF International Challenge The BWF International Challenge is a grade 3 and level 1 tournament part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Series (level 2) and Future Series (level 3), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. ...
tournament : BWF International Series/Satellite tournament


National titles and runners-up


National Junior/Senior titles (13)


National Junior/Senior runners-up (1)


Performance timeline


Record against selected opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 30 October 2022.


Personal life

Nehwal and her family speak the
Haryanvi language Haryanvi ( ' or '), also known as Bangru, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the state of Haryana in India, and to a lesser extent in Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which also includes Kharibo ...
at home.Shraddha Kapoor back to her prep for Saina Nehwal biopic
Mumbai Mirror The ''Mumbai Mirror'' is an Indian English-language newspaper published in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Launched in 2005 as a compact daily newspaper, its coverage focuses on city specific local news and civic issues concerning education, healthcare an ...
, 25 May 2018.
She is a fan of
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
and
Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist who works mainly in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Award ...
Chris Gayle Christopher Henry Gayle, OD (born 21 September 1979) is a Jamaican cricketer who has been playing international cricket for the West Indies since 1999. A destructive batter, Gayle is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have play ...
. She is in the process of opening a badminton academy in her native state of Haryana.PV Sindhu is a top player to beat, says Saina Nehwal
India Times ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...
, 5 November 2017.
She married a badminton player,
Parupalli Kashyap Parupalli Kashyap (born 8 September 1986) is an Indian badminton player. A former World No.6, he trains at Gopichand Badminton Academy. He was awarded the Arjuna Award by the Government of India in 2012. He created history by reaching the q ...
in a private ceremony on 14 December 2018.


Politics

Nehwal joined the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
in Delhi on 29 January 2020 in the presence of party's national general secretary Arun Singh. Her sister Abu Chandranshu Nehwal also joined the party. She was quoted as saying "
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
is working hard for the country, and has always inspired me."


Accolades


Awards

* Most Promising Player of the Year (2008) award by
Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
*
Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
(2009) *
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
(
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) *
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...
(2009–2010) *
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
(
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
) ; For the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics: * cash award from the
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
Government * cash award from the
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
Government * cash award from the
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
Government * cash award from the
Badminton Association of India Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body of badminton in India. BAI is an association registered under the societies act. It was formed in 1934, and has been holding national-level tournaments in India since 1936. BAI has 28 ...
* Honorary doctorate degree by
Mangalayatan University Manglayatan University is a private university established in 2006, recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC). Its campus is located in the city of Aligarh in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The main moto of this university is 'Learn ...
* Honorary doctorate degree by
SRM Institute of Science and Technology SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), formerly SRM University, is a private higher education institute deemed to be university, located in Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu (near Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1985 as SRM Eng ...


Endorsements

In 2002, sports brand
Yonex () is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex produces equipment and apparel for tennis, badminton, golf, and running. Its range of products manufactured and commercialised includes equipment for badminton and tennis (rackets, ...
offered to sponsor Nehwal's kit. As her status and rankings improved, the number of sponsorships also increased. In 2004,
Bharat Petroleum Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is In ...
signed the rising star. She is one of the athletes supported by
Olympic Gold Quest Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) is a program of the Foundation for Promotion of Sports and Games, a Not for Profit (Section 25) Company, which is committed to bridging the gap between the best athletes in India and the best athletes in the world thus h ...
. She endorses Commune Builder,
Edelweiss Group Edelweiss Group (Officially known as Edelweiss Financial Services Limited) is an investment and financial services company based in Mumbai, India. It is co-founded by Rashesh Shah and Venkat Ramaswamy. The company is dealing in various f ...
,Saina Nehwal climbs endorsement charts after badminton ratings
The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...
, 4 September 2015.
Emami Emami Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata, India. This group trades with their tag name Himani. The company has seven manufacturing units across India and one overseas unit. The Company caters to a nu ...
, Fortune Cooking Oil, Godrej No Marks,
Herbalife Nutrition Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., also called Herbalife International, Inc. (with a U.S. subsidiary called Herbalife International of America) or simply Herbalife, is a global multi-level marketing (MLM) corporation that develops and sells dietary supp ...
, Huawei Honor smartphone.
Indian Overseas Bank Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) is an Indian public sector bank based in Chennai. It has about 3,214 domestic branches, about 4 foreign branches and representative office. Founded in February 1937 by M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar with twin object ...
, Iodex, NECC,
Sahara Group Sahara India Pariwar (''pariwar'' being Hindi for "family") is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The group operates business sectors such as finance, infrastructure & housing, real estate, sports, power, ma ...
,
Star Sports Star Sports refers to several current or former Asian sports networks owned by The Walt Disney Company: * Star Sports (East Asian TV channel) * Star Sports (Indian TV network) * Fox Sports (Southeast Asian TV network) Fox Sports (formerly ESPN ...
, Top Ramen Noodles,
Vaseline Vaseline ()Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable . is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by transnational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soa ...
and
Yonex () is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex produces equipment and apparel for tennis, badminton, golf, and running. Its range of products manufactured and commercialised includes equipment for badminton and tennis (rackets, ...
. Nehwal signed an endorsement deal worth Rs. 400 million with the popular sports management firm Rhiti Sports in 2012. However, she severed this deal in 2013 and signed up with KWAN entertainment and marketing solutions for an undisclosed sum. She has a dedicated sporting range with the multinational sports goods manufacturer
Yonex () is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex produces equipment and apparel for tennis, badminton, golf, and running. Its range of products manufactured and commercialised includes equipment for badminton and tennis (rackets, ...
, 4% of the profits of which goes to her.


In popular culture

Nehwal has been invited on popular Indian television shows as a guest including ''
Satyamev Jayate Satyameva Jayate (, ) is a part of a ''mantra'' from the Hindu scripture '' Mundaka Upanishad''. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic. It is inscr ...
'', '' Comedy Nights with Kapil'', ''
The Kapil Sharma Show ''The Kapil Sharma Show'', also known as TKSS, is an Television in India, Indian Hindi-language stand-up comedy and talk show broadcast by Sony Entertainment Television. Hosted by Kapil Sharma, the first season of the show had its premiere on ...
,
Sam Jam ''Sam Jam'' is an Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language web television talk show hosted by Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Directed by Arun Seshkumar and created by Allu Aravind for aha (streaming service), aha, the show premiered on 13 November 2020 o ...
.'' Her
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''Playing to Win: My Life On and Off Court'',The Saina Nehwal Story: Birdie's Flight From 1999 to 2015
Skymet, −1 Apr 2015.

India Times ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...
, 8 December 2017.
was released in 2012.Playing to Win: Saina Nehwal
'' Saina'', a
biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
based on her life, directed by
Amol Gupte Amole Gupte (born c. 1962) is an Indian screenwriter, actor, and director, known for his work on the 2007 Bollywood film ''Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)'' as creative director and screenwriter. He conceived the film along with his wif ...
with actress
Parineeti Chopra Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in '' Forbes India'' Celebrity 1 ...
playing the title role, was released in 2021.


Legacy

Saina Nehwal Institute of Agricultural Technology, Training & EducationThe Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar will hold a three-day training camp on Mushroom production from September 28, 2015 at Saina Nehwal Agricultural Technology and Training Institute
Public Relations Department, Government of Haryana, 28 September 2015.
at
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University is a public funded agricultural university located at Hisar in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the biggest agricultural university in Asia. The university has of land (around at ma ...
is named after her.


See also

* India national badminton team


References


External links

* *
Saina Nehwal at BadmintonLink.com

Saina Nehwal first badminton academy at Gaur City
at
Sportskeeda Sportskeeda is an Indian sports and esports news website, founded in 2009. It is operated by Absolute Sports Private Limited and owned by Indian video game company Nazara Technologies. The website has news, features, commentary and videos on spo ...

Saina Nehwal Profile and latest news
at
Sportskeeda Sportskeeda is an Indian sports and esports news website, founded in 2009. It is operated by Absolute Sports Private Limited and owned by Indian video game company Nazara Technologies. The website has news, features, commentary and videos on spo ...

Interview with Saina Nehwal – "Your Call with Saina Nehwal"
on NDTV {{DEFAULTSORT:Nehwal, Saina 1990 births Living people Racket sportspeople from Haryana Sportswomen from Haryana Sportswomen from Hyderabad, India People from Hisar (city) 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Indian female badminton players Indian national badminton champions Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic badminton players of India Olympic bronze medalists for India Olympic medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Badminton players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Badminton players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India Commonwealth Games medallists in badminton Badminton players at the 2006 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for India Asian Games medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games World No. 1 badminton players Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan schools alumni Campus School, CCS HAU alumni Recipients of the Arjuna Award