Saina Nehwal advised two-week rest for bone stress

New Delhi: India ace Saina Nehwal on Thursday underwent a scan to diagnose her Achilles tendon problems and has been prescribed rest for a couple of weeks.

The Indian ace, who finished runners-up at the China Open — a title she had won in 2014 — last week, consulted doctors at the Apollo hospital following pain in her right leg. She then underwent a scan to know the extent of the injury.

"We came here to examine the pain in the leg. It was swollen so she underwent a scan and report suggests stress on bone. Since she played in China Open it aggravated the pain, it put stress on the heel bone but doctors said there is nothing to worry too much.

She will need a couple of weeks to recover. She should be able to play at the Superseries Finals," Saina's father Harvir Singh told PTI.

Saina had played with a brace during the China Open after feeling slight discomfort ahead of the event where she was the defending champion. During the finals, Saina's movement was hampered due to the pain and she eventually lost the finals to Li Xuerui of China.

Following the event, Saina pulled out of Hong Kong Super Series due to the injury. BWF Superseries Final is a prestigious tournament where only the top eight players compete. This time it will be held at the Hamdan Sports Complex, Dubai, United Arab Emirates from December 9 to 13.

Four years ago, Saina had created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the final of 2011 BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Liuzhou, China.

She had lost the final narrowly against the then World No. 1 Chinese Wang Yihan in a contest lasting over an hour.

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