I am not thinking of becoming a coach yet: Saina Nehwal

With her recent retirement, many expected Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal to transition into coaching. But at a recent fashion event, when we caught up with her, the badminton icon made it clear she isn’t rushing into that role. “I recently retired, so I am planning to focus on other things. I have a couple of restaurants and other companies as well. I’m an entrepreneur, so I am focusing on that part. I am not thinking of getting into the coaching field. It is tough and requires a lot of patience. But you never know in the future, I could try different fields — politics, coaching or something else — but right now, I am enjoying my life and motivating youngsters through events,” she said.

On whether she misses being on court, Saina is honest about the physical toll the sport has taken on her. “I definitely miss being on the badminton court a lot. It is very, very tough to be away from the court, but when your knee has given up – I have arthritis and my cartilage is fully gone – it is hard. There is no cure for it. I have to accept that it is not working anymore. If I try to push for more than one or two hours, it gets bad,” she shared.

Ask her about the contrast from being on the court to being seen as a showstopper at a fashion event and she said, “Playing badminton was destiny, it was not planned. Walking the ramp was also destined. All thanks to badminton, I have earned fame and respect that gives me a chance do different things as well. I am happy about it. I like looking good too, so I really enjoyed this experience,” she said.