Saina Nehwal : साइना नेहवाल

My observations:

1. Shixian plays the game at a more relaxed and energy saving pace. She is not largely an attacking player, and is a stroke player, hence uses less energy. Her movement is gracious, and was also making saina retrieve and retrieve further sapping energy off saina. Saina, is the opposite. She has only got her aggression, attack. Obviously other things are good as well, but here we are talking about a comparison b/w Saina and the top 4-5. Compared to the others, her selling point is her attack. Her style of play is energy intensive. Not only due to energy needed for attack, but her movements are not energy effective and efficient, and she has a lesser intuitive understanding of the game which can be used by the top 3 players to move saina around, further sapping energy.

2. Game 1 begins, shixian is playing her drops (energy efficient) making saina retrieve and retrieve (energy costly). Saina is also playing on a good pace. They are basically just able to match each other.

3. Shixian is leading, playing her game, suddenly saina decides, she is going to give her all. And she does. That latter section of the game is the best display of saina I have seen in a long while. She increased her pace from good to fast. But, it was extremely energy sapping. Shixian also has a good defence, and saina needs multiple smashes to finally get it down.

4. IN game 3, Shixian goes nerve-bust due to the previous game which she lost from the precipice. Makes many simple errors. Even GC commentates. Saina is continuing with the high pace. But, she gradually starts to slow down. Shixian then decides, she has had it enough, and she just ups her game! Some of the shots in latter section of game 3 are the best I have seen in WS in a long time. Saina tries to increase her pace and aggression, but she has already spent all. Couldn't keep. So, according to me the credit for the turn-around should go to these two things: (a) WSX has already drained all energy off Saina. (b) WSX ups her game, in almost all departments.

5. Initially Saina, tries to fight. You can see the points earned by WSX are all due to her skills and shots till at least 16-15. Finally, once WSX goes ahead Saina just breaks and makes two unenforced errors, which is understandable gives she was so clearly winning.

Hence, these are my two cents.
On a side note:

Saina needs to change her game. Skills should be improved, primarily like: Reading over the game, net and racket skills, disguise in her shots, smoothness and efficiency of movement.

WSX has beaten saina twice in a row. She is the only top chinese player the indian duo take easily (relatively). She used to win over her under Gopi. Now under Vimal, she has lost to WYH of course, but twice to WSX. Heads will roll. Kind of knowing Saina, you can expect her to shift her base back to Hyderabad soon.
But, in all honesty, WSX has improved her game. One can visibly see that she is fighting hard to get into the Olympic squad. Her stamina seems to be better. Racket skills (at least to me) are better. She is trying to mix her game. And the in the last two weeks, I have seen her occasionally attacking. These are the first instances where I'm personally seeing her apply smashes. She seems to be sincerely working on a good offence. If she succeeds, she can go real far, because there is that distinct beauty in her game. The grace. Compared to that, LXR (and even WYH) are ferocious beasts. They are attacking, and incredibly fast paced. WSX has the grace, like a gentle artist.

 

Ya, I know. Let's see what she is doing, and how it works.

 

good observation, i watched the whole match, i have to agree with you.

SN did indeed improve in comparison to her game few months ago but he biggest let down still her movement/footwork in comparison to other top players

 

Did I ever mention, dear sir, that this answer is written for your majesty's eyes? Did I ask for your comment? I am more than entitled to publish my "long poetry" here.

 

I apologize. Yes writing a detailed analysis was triggered by your comment, and while I was officially replying to it, I had a larger audience in mind.
And next, why do we have this hostility?
I would like if you can point the particular sections of my post that you object to. (Analysis or side note)

 

That's what I am trying to figure out. What was one-sided? Reading the post again, atleast the section on observations seemed to be pretty robust, but, I agree that the last para can be considered one-sided. Actually looking back, they were indeed poetic, but I think I wrote them not really from a rigorous analysis perspective, but just to liven it up.
So yes, the last para, wasn't an analysis. I apologize again.

 

Just don't bother with him. He'll twist everything you say into an attack on himself, Saina, India, human rights, puppies...you name it.

 

So she is still with Vimal Kumar.
I was wondering if she returned back. Well given the number of students Gopichand has to handle, it's probably better that Saina goes her own path and stays with Vimal and Prakash for a while.

 

I had the opportunity to watch that match live on TV.

In the final game she was 11-6 up at interval. She extended it to 14-7. But then WSX started to come back. First it was 15-10 and then WSX won 11 straight points to make it 15-21.

Must have been one of the most humiliating defeats ever for Saina. Commentator Gill described it as one of the greatest comebacks she has seen and asked in a confused tone- "What just happened to Saina?".

My view was that it was a combination of various factors.
1>Wang Shixian played REALLY well. The commentator Gill C described a few of her net shots and disguised shots as genuine contenders for the "shot of the tournament".

2> Saina's psychological weakness was at display. May be she gets nervous when at the verge of winning. Saina has a habit of giving away comfortable leads to her opponents. Didn't she give away a 8 point lead in 2008 olympics?

3>Also, Saina looked a little out of energy. You know that when a person net faults too many times during net plays that she is likely to be tired.

4> I have noticed it that Saina ALWAYS wants to be in control. As soon as she feels that the point/game is not in her control, she tends to try something desperate to get back in control, but only to mess up and lose the point.

 

Saina was a quicker player in 2012. It looks like she has lost some speed. Not to mention she makes way too many errors in final games.

She needs to focus, relax and train really hard. It is also time that she adds a few new tricks, surprise elements and deceptions to her game.

 

If he doesn't like it, you can always write poetry in response to my posts. I like poetry as they show emotion and passion.
The way I see it- a person will only write long posts if he has seriously thought about it.

 

Can you please elaborate what you mean. Denial of what? What war? What battle?

What is baggage?
If she is only addressing the symptoms, what do you think the root actually is?