Saina Nehwal’s new coach Vimal Kumar says all’s fine between her and former mentor
Vimal Kumar, Saina's new coach. (PHoto: DC)
Hyderabad: It is often said that an athlete who aspires for greatness learns from several different coaches. But in India, the moment an athlete reaches out to another coach it is seen as a result of a fallout. India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal finds herself in the same situation.
But the man at the eye of the apparent fallout between Saina and P. Gopichand, Vimal Kumar, is unfazed. For the coach behind the success story of the 20-year-old Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, it is business as usual. As Saina begins her preparation for the Asian Games later this month, the 1992 Barcelona Olympian spoke to DC on the issue.
“The situation was a little annoying,” he admitted, before adding, “Every athlete goes though these small bad phases and in this case it was projected as a split. In the last 20 years that I have been into coaching, many athletes including Gopi and Aparna (Popat) have gone through it.”
“Saina is a special girl and it is our responsibility to help her out. In fact even Prakash (Padukone) went through it in Denmark and I faced it during my stint in England,” he says.
Speaking about the changes Saina needs to make to her game, the former national chief coach said, "She needs to work on her side-to-side movement and the variation in her back court game. I'm here to help her and talk to her about it. I have also spoken to Gopi about it on Tuesday. We have noted down what her requirements are and together we will work on it."
Vimal said the perception about people who go through tough patches needs to change. "The problem is once a person loses, the common perception is that the person is not fit and you need to train and get fitter. That is not always the case. The athlete needs to access his or her own abilities, open up about it and talk. Talking helps a lot," said the two-time National champion.
Terming Saina a tough and focused athlete, Vimal explained, "Saina is a mentally tough person and works with a single-minded focus. I've seen her from the time she was a kid. She just needs a little time to settle down. She wanted to come straight from the airport and train. That is her level of focus."
Vimal, who believes Indian athletes lack proper mentoring, said that in the run-up to the Asian Games, Padukone would mentor Saina and support her.
( Source : dc )
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