Saina Nehwal is an Indian badminton champion, she holds the holds No.1 rank in the World Women’s Singles. After Prakash Padukone (Deepika Padukone’s father) it is this young-achiever who became the first Indian to claim the no.1 spot. Saina is also the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championship. In the year 2009, she became the first Indian to clinch the Indonesia Open. The Olympic Games, World Championship, Uber games are the few series where she showcased her talent.
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Saina Nehwal – Sister and parents
Saina was born on March 17. 1990 in a Jat family in Hisar. She is the second daughter of Harvir Singh and Usha Rani. She has an elder sister named Abu Chandranshu Nehwal who is a boutique designer.
Early life and Education
Saina’s father worked in the CCS HAU (Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University). Nehwal completed her first few years of schooling in the CCS campus. After few years of schooling the family shifted to Hyderabad. She completed her class 12 from St. Ann’s College, Hyderabad. She had been coached by S.M Arif and Pullela Gopichand till 2014. In the beginning of her career Saina was involved in Karate and has a brown-belt in it. Saina started her career at a very young age of 16. Saina became the under 19 national champion during this time. She is the first youngest Indian woman from Asia to win a 4-star tournament.
Career and Achievements
Nehwal is the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games. In September, 2008 she won the prestigious Yonex Chinese Tapei Open. She had also been acknowledged as the most promising player in 2008. Her list of achievements is commendable, BWF Super Series and the Indonesia Open were the two events where she emerged victorious. She made India proud by winning gold in the Commonwealth games held in Delhi 2010.
However, Saina took a back step after a good start. Nehwal tasted defeat in the Korea Open Super Series Premiere in the year 2011. She also lost in the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold Tournament. She bounced back in 2012, winning the Swiss Open Title and was the first Indian to win China Open Super Series. The win in the Super series made her reach no.7 in World ranking. In the year 2015, she went down fighting Caroline Marin again and received a silver medal at the 2015 BWF World Championships.
Saina Nehwal – Boyfriend
The 1.65 meter tall Saina has never really been very open about her relationships. Saina Nehwal is said to be in a relationship with fellow badminton player, Parupalli Kashyap. Both are very private about their relationship and have not aired their feelings to the media, leaving everything to speculation. Kashyap has stated that they are just close friends. The two of them are considered to be childhood friends and had practiced in the same academy during their training years.
Saina Nehwal – Salary and Net Worth
As on 2015, Saina Nehwal’s net worth is estimated to be Rs. 17 Crore or $2.54 million. Her annual salary or yearly income is approximately Rs. 2 crore or $.3 million.
Sania is not far behind when it comes to endorsements. For a whopping INR 40 Crore, Saina has signed a contract with Rhiti Sports Company in 2012. She endorses top-line brands like Herbalife, Top Ramen, Sahara India Parivar, Vaseline and Fortune Cooking Oil.
The celebrated player has won numerous awards including Most Promising Player of the Year Award (2008), Arjuna Award (2009), Padma Shri (2010), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2010) and Padma Bhushan (2016).
