The unusual life of a teen champion

HYDERABAD: No ice cream, no fried food, no movies and no friends at all. This is definitely not the menu of a teen. But 19-year-old ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has no other option. Even as her friends enjoy late night movies, junk food and have lot of fun at pubs, Saina sticks to boiled vegetables, lots of fruits and sweats out in the gym and on the court.
A strict disciplinarian by habit, Saina, according to her coach Gopi Chand, never deviates from the menu fixed by her coach and other officials.
"I don���t know when she ate her last ice cream. She sticks to diet and sacrifices so much," said Gopi, adding that she is ready to go to any extent for the sake of the sport.
Citing the instance of how he had to convince her to become a non-vegetarian, Gopi said his ward was never worried about deviating from the family practices.
"She was a strict vegetarian. And when we found out that she is not getting enough protein we thought she should eat meat. I was worried if I could convince her or not. However, during the China tour in 2006, we explained the need to add meat to her diet and she readily agreed. She now eats more fish and chicken," Gopi said.
Saina wakes up at around six in the morning after a good nine-hour sleep in the night. She starts her day with a glass of milk and reaches the Gopi Chand Badminton Academy at around 7.30 am. Her morning schedule which winds up at 11 am, mostly comprises on court practice. On four days she practises strokes and on the other two days she plays matches with male shuttlers. "She's benefited a lot by practising with boys," said Gopi.
She stays at the academy and after finishing lunch relaxes for a while before getting on the court by 3.30 pm. The hour-long session with Gopi is dedicated to fine tuning her game. She then hits the gym and does weight training for four days a week. On the other two days she runs for about 70 minutes. Sunday is a rest day.
"Even on Sundays she hardly goes out. She sleeps a bit longer and watches TV. In the evening she does some exercises," Saina's father Harvir Singh said.
By eight she is back home and makes it a point to hit the sack between 9 and 9.30 pm. "I need nine hours sleep every day. So I go to bed early and get up before 6.30 am," Saina said.
Once she reaches home, her mother makes it a point to give massage with hot water. "I give her different kinds of massages and cook aloo paratha which is her favourite food," Saina's mother Usha Rani said. While she is participating in tournaments, Saina spends most of her time in gym.
QnA: Will Saina be India's new Sania Mirza?