Write me off at your peril, says India star Saina Nehwal
Shuttler confident of reclaiming top spot from formidable Chinese contingent
Far from mourning the end of her brief reign as the world number one, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal is happy that she at least made it to where no other non-Chinese could reach in the last four years.
Since Dane Tine Baun's rise to the top in late 2010, China's badminton hegemony has ensured that one of their own topped women's singles rankings until late last month.
Number one is number one, however brief or long the duration is
Nehwal ended that streak when she stormed into the final of the India Open in the last week of March. The Indian toppled Olympic champion Li Xuerui, who had played nine events compared to Nehwal's 13 in the preceding 52 week-period that are taken into account while calculating rankings.
But Li beat Nehwal in the semi-finals of the Malaysian Super Series Premier event last week, which means the Indian would lose the number one position when new rankings are announced on Thursday.
"Number one is number one, however brief or long the duration is," Nehwal said.
