Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal was born to parents Harvir Singh Nehwal and Usha Rani Nehwal in Hisar on March 17, 1990. She has an older sister named Chandranshu Nehwal. Her father, a PhD holder in agricultural science, was employed at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. Saina attended Campus School CCS HAU, Hisar for her initial education and later completed her 12th grade at St. Ann’s College for Women in Hyderabad. 

Upon her father’s promotion and relocation from Haryana to Hyderabad, a young Saina turned to badminton at the age of eight as a means of self-expression since she faced language barriers when attempting to interact with other kids. On December 14, 2018, Saina married another badminton player named Parupalli Kashyap in a private event. On January 29, 2020, Nehwal became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi, joining the party under the guidance of its national general secretary, Arun Singh.

In 2005, at just 15 years old, Saina Nehwal claimed victory in the Asian Satellite tournament held in New Delhi, overcoming Aparna Popat in the final with two consecutive wins. In May, as a 16-year-old, she made history as the first Indian woman and the youngest player from Asia to secure a victory in a 4-star event – the Philippines Open. In 2008, she furthered her achievements by becoming the first Indian to capture the World Junior Championships title, outperforming Japanese ninth-seed Sayaka Sato with scores of 21-9 and 21-18. That same year, the Badminton World Federation recognized her talent by awarding her the title of The Most Promising Player.

In June 2009, Saina Nehwal made history as the first Indian to clinch a BWF Super Series title by winning the Indonesia Open, one of the world’s most prestigious badminton tournaments. In 2010, she scripted history again as the first Indian woman to reach the All England Open semi-finals, ultimately losing to eventual winner Tine Rasmussen. She went on to secure the gold medal in the women’s singles at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, overcoming Malaysia’s Wong Mew Choo with scores of 19-21, 23-21, 21-13.

During the London Olympics 2012, Nehwal was seeded fourth. She won her group stage matches against Sabrina Jaquet of Switzerland and Belgium’s Lianne Tan, both in straight games. Advancing to the knockout phase, she defeated the Netherlands’ Yao Jie 21-14, 21-16 and then triumphed over fifth-seed Tine Baun 21-15, 22-20. Although she lost to top-seed Wang Yihan in the semi-finals, she secured a bronze medal when Wang Xin withdrew from the playoff due to injury, making her the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal.

At the BWF World Championship in 2015, Nehwal defeated Lindaweni Fanetri in the semi-final, making her the first Indian player to compete in the World Badminton Championship finals. She ultimately earned a silver medal, losing to Carolina Marín in the final. She later won her first BWF Super 500 title at the Indonesia Masters against Marín, who had to retire due to injury. In 2019, she claimed victory in the National Championship by defeating top-seed PV Sindhu 21-18, 21-15. However, recent injuries have impacted Saina’s career, leading her to withdraw from the selection trials for the postponed Asian Games. 

In 2015, Saina Nehwal reached the top of her career as she became the first Indian badminton player to achieve the World No. 1 ranking. As the first Indian to ever secure an Olympic medal in the sport, she boasts an impressive collection of over 24 international titles, which includes 11 Super Series victories. Considering her contributions to Indian sports, the government honored her with the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2016. She had previously received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2009-10 and the Arjuna Award in 2009.