Superb Saina scales historic World No.1 ranking

PTI | Mar 28, 2015, 04.53PM IST

inShare19

Saina Nehwal reached the summit after Ratchanok Intanon  defeated Carolina Marin in the first semifinal of the India Open Super Series. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal on Saturday scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the number one spot in world rankings, reaffirming her status as the country's most consistent performer in the international circuit.

READ ALSO: Saina storms into maiden India Open final

Saina also reached her maiden India Open final on Saturday by beating ​Yui Hashimoto 21-15, 21-11 in the second semifinals.

The 25-year-old zoomed to the top after her closest challenger for the position, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semifinal here.

Though the official rankings will be out only on Thursday next week, Saina has been assured of her ascent to the top owing to the reigning world champion's 19-21, 23-21, 20-22 loss to third seed Thai Ratchanok Intanon.

Saina thus becomes only the second Indian overall to be world number one after Prakash Padukone had the distinction of being the numero uno men's badminton player.

The London Olympic bronze-medalist has won a staggering 14 international titles in her glorious career and most recently she became the first Indian woman to make the finals of the prestigious All England Championships in Manchester

"Number one is not at the back of mind right now. The only thing I am focussing on is playing all the tournaments and I want to win them," Saina had said when asked about the ranking.

"I want to perform well and beat the players against whom I was losing. I don't want to lose the way I was losing in the last three years. I want to be more consistent. When you are playing well, other things fall in place", she said.


Saina Nehwal has won a staggering 14 international titles in her glorious career. (AFP Photo)

The injury-ravaged Saina, who admitted that it is "tough to maintain rankings", said she remains intent on achieving consistency.

"It is tough to be in top-five for the last seven years. I hope to maintain it for some more time. I feel good. At the same time I have to work hard every day, train every day. It is too tiring. I want to be the best. It is my personal choice, fight against the top players. I want to be one of the top players in the world," she asserted.

"Everyone dreams of winning World Championship, Olympics and I am one of them. It is not that right now, I want everything. I want to be a little cool and relaxed and enjoy my game. It's my job and I want to enjoy it," she added.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Saina on her achievement.


The Hyderabad-based player has several firsts to her credit in Indian badminton. She was the first to be a junior world champion, besides being the first to clinch a Super Series title.

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar also congratulated Saina on twitter.

Initially groomed by former All England champion Pullela Gopichand, Saina is currently under the tutelage of former national champion Vimal Kumar.

The path-breaker was awarded the country's highest sporting honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award -- in 2010.

Australia's cricket World Cup 2015 Triumph - Celebrations

Steve Smith hugs Shane Watson after scoring the 

Glenn Maxwell of Australia celebrates after Mitchell Starc of Australia took the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane of India during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi Final match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 26, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

Shikhar Dhawan of India bats during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi Final match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 26, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

Australia vs India, 2nd Semi-Final

• 

  Virat Kohli of India celebrates after taking a catch to dismiss David Warner of Australia off the bowling of Umesh Yadav of India during the 2015 Cricket World Cup Semi Final match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 26, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.
• 
  

Rome was not built in a day. It had perhaps taken centuries. To begin with Rome was only a
hamlets among others; then it became a city state; then a state and finally a vast empire.
So anything big and great need many years of hard work, undaunted by obstacles of failures.

Only a few days before the examination, most of the students begin to study seriously. The
days prior to that is wasted in futile pursuits. Such students cannot hope to do well in their
examinations nor can they come out with flying colors. Luckily if they get through, they pat
themselves; if they don't, they blame their luck. It is no use burning midnight oil at the last
minute cramming information that cannot be sustained for long. They do not realize this simple
fact. Studying late into the night is very unhealthy and adversely affects the vision.

It is not only in the case of studies, but in the case of success in life too that one needs
steady and continuous work. Civilizations did not develop in a country or two. Nor science or
technology is the result of the efforts of one individual or a single experiment. It is because
hundreds of people zealously worked for generations together that we now enjoy easy and
comfortable life. Most of those people who had so toiled are not known to the history, they are
the people, who never cared for fame, who were not deterred by failures, whose only aim was to go
ahead steadfastly in their work.

They are the people unwept and unsung. It is certainly because of the undaunted efforts of these
unknown heroes that we stand at the place we find ourselves. It is the case with every human
endeavor - be it science or art.

When we turn to the nature and watch a bird making its nest, we will certainly be amazed for its
patience and perseverance. A clumsy bird like the crow, brings dry sticks and twigs from a tree in
its beak, puts them at the join of two branches, arranges and rearranges them until it finally takes
the shape it wants! It does not give up its job - a stick may fall now and then and the wind may
blow off its partly built nest. Still it persists.

This is the kind of perseverance we need to cultivate. We have got to realize that obstacles will
certainly come on the way; and the path to success is always strewn with stones and thorns. We must
keep our spirit alive and upright, until we reach the destination. The jungles are dark and daunting.
But when once we cross these woods and reach the other end, the joy is boundless and the journey will
become worth the trouble.