Saina Nehwal Heaps Praise On PV Sindhu: ‘We Made Each Other Very Good Players’

Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal heaped praise on her badminton compatriot PV Sindhu, crediting her for elevating her game in a rivalry that shaped the golden era of Indian badminton.

“We both, I think, made each other very good players,” Nehwal said, speaking on Episode 2 of I.I.M.U.N.’s Before I Became Me. “When I look back, I think we both were good rally players, we both could attack very hard, and we could actually pull over such difficult matches. We both had similar qualities of playing tough matches.”

“I think that era, the last 10-15 years, was very, very good because of her and me,” she added. “We were winning back-to-back, people started knowing about badminton, and they began watching it like they watched cricket.”

Nehwal added that the duo’s continued success brought badminton into the limelight in India. “I think the team matters a lot,” she said. “That’s why we both got very good results.”

Saina Nehwal’s Rivalry With PV Sindhu

Saina Nehwal faced PV Sindhu, six years her junior, for the first time in the final of the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold 2014 in Lucknow, where Nehwal won 21-14, 21-17 to claim the title. Sindhu turned the tables at the India Open Superseries 2017 final, defeating Nehwal 21-16, 22-20.

The last time these two players faced each other was in the Senior Badminton Nationals in 2019. Nehwal won in straight games with the scoreline of 21-18, 21-15.

Their dominance extended on the global stage as well. Saina Nehwal won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics, and PV Sindhu followed it with a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Saina Nehwal recently announced her retirement from competitive badminton in January.