Saina Nehwal is an Indian badminton player who has won over 20 international titles. She is also the first Indian woman to be ranked number one in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings. As of 2017, she is the only Indian to have won medals in all three of BWF’s major individual events – the Olympics, BWF World Youth Championships and BWF World Championships. Let’s take a look at her personal and professional life.
Biography/Wiki
Saina Nehwal was born on March 17, 1990 in Hisar, Haryana, India. Her family currently resides in Hyderabad, India. Her mother, who also calls her Steffi Saina, is a big fan of tennis player Steffi Graff. When she was five, her family moved from Haryana to Hyderabad due to her father’s job. She started playing badminton to fulfill her mother’s dream of becoming a national-level badminton player. She has achieved great success in her badminton career and has received four prestigious awards from the Government of India, including the Arjuna Award in 2009, the Padma Shri Award in 2010, the Rajiv Gandhi Khair Raphael Award in 2010 Turner Prize and Padma Shri Award in 2016. She is looking forward to opening a badminton academy in Haryana.
appearance
She is the most talented, hardworking, beautiful and slim girl in India. She is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 65 kg. She has brown eyes and black hair.
Family, caste and boyfriends
Saina was born into a middle-class Hindu Jat family, her father was Harvir Singh Nehwal (a scientist) and her mother was Usha Nehwal. Her parents are former badminton champions from Haryana. She has an older sister, Abu Chandranshu Nehwal, who played volleyball.
Saina Nehwal and her family
Saina Nehwal tied the knot with her long-time boyfriend and badminton player Parupalli Kashyap on December 14, 2018 in Hyderabad.
Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap
Profession
badminton
She was educated at CCS HAU Campus School, Hisar; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School, Hyderabad; National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) School, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad; and St. Ann’s, Hyderabad Women’s College.
Saina Nehwal (left) and her sister Abul Chandranshu Nehwal (right)
Saina Nehwal started playing badminton at the age of 8 and received badminton training under the guidance of Indian badminton coach SM Arif. She has also received training from Pullela Gopichand, Nani Prasad Rao and Vimal Kumar.
Saina Nehwal when she was young
In 2005, she made her international debut at the Asian Badminton Satellite Championships. Since then, she has won numerous championships both nationally and internationally as a badminton player. In 2016 and 2017, she suffered some injuries but recovered quickly and won many competitions. During her badminton career, Saina won various medals at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Olympic Games.
Saina Nehwal during the Indonesia Badminton Open
politics
Saina Nehwal started her active participation in politics on January 29, 2020, when she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party while campaigning for the Delhi Assembly elections. After joining the party, Nehwal said,
I take a lot of inspiration from Narendra sir. I won medals for my country. I am a very hardworking person and I like hardworking people. I have seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi doing a lot for the country and I want to do something with him for the country. ” 
dispute
In January 2022, the Sena and Tamil actor Siddharth got into a war of words on Twitter over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security lapses in Punjab. Siddharth sparked controversy when he used some derogatory terms while replying to Saina Nehwal’s tweet about the Prime Minister’s security breach.
Sidharth tweets to Saina Nehwal over PM Modi’s security breach in Punjab
Later, National Commission for Women president Rekha Sharma demanded action against Siddharth and said his Twitter account should be banned.
NCW chief Rekha Sharma’s tweets about actor Siddharth in which she demanded action against his controversial tweets against Saina Nehwal
After creating a stir on social media, the actor shared a letter on Twitter on January 11, 2022, apologizing to Saina Nehwal.
Siddharth’s apology letter to Saina Nehwal
Record
- In 2006, she became the first player to win the Asian Badminton Satellite Championship twice.
- In 2006, she became the first Indian woman and the youngest Asian player to win the four-star Philippine Open.
- In 2008, she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championship.
- In 2008, she became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
- In 2009, she became the first Indian to win the Badminton World Super Series title.
- In 2010, she became the first Indian woman to reach the semi-finals of the 2010 All England Premier Series.
- In 2011, she became the first Indian singles player to reach the final of the Badminton World Super Series Masters.
- In 2014, she became the first Indian woman to win the China Open Super Series.
- In 2015, she became the first Indian female badminton player to reach the final of the All England Badminton Open.
- In 2015, she became the first Indian women’s badminton player to be ranked number one in the world in the BWF women’s singles competition.
- In 2018, she became the first Indian female badminton player to win an Asian badminton medal at the Asian Games.
Awards and Achievements
During her badminton career, Saina Nehwal achieved great success and won numerous championships and awards. Here are some of them:
year 2006
- Melbourne Commonwealth Games bronze medal
- Winning the Four Star Badminton Philippine Open Championship in Pasig City, Manila
- Win the Philippine Open Grand Prix
2007
Guwahati National Games Gold Medal
Year 2008
- Won the Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold Medal
- Pune World Junior Badminton Championship Champion
- The Most Promising Player of the Year Award from the Badminton World Federation (BWF)
Year 2009
- Win Indonesian Open title in Jakarta
- Arjuna Award
Saina Nehwal wins Arjuna Award
year 2010
- Win the Singapore Open Super Series title in the Lion City
- Wins Yonex Sunrise India Open in Chennai
- New Delhi Asian Badminton Championships Bronze Medal
- Win the India Open Grand Prize
- Delhi Commonwealth Games Mixed Team Silver Medal
- Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medal
- Hong Kong Badminton Open Super Series Champion
Nehwal wins Hong Kong Badminton Super Series title
- Rajiv Gandhi Khair Ratna Award
- Padma Shri Award
year 2011
Won the Swiss Open in Basel
2012
- Won the Swiss Open in Basel
- Win Indonesian Super Series title in Jakarta
- London Olympics women’s singles bronze medal
Saina Nehwal wins bronze in women’s singles at London 2012
- Won the Odense Denmark Open Super Series title
- Honorary Doctorate from Mangalayatan University
Year 2014
- Asian Games Bronze Medal
- Australian Badminton Open Super Series Champion
- Won the China Super Series Championship
2015
- Win Indian Super Series title in New Delhi
- Jakarta World Championships Silver Medal
2016
- Winner of Australian Badminton Open Super Series in Sydney
Saina Nehwal wins 2016 Australian Badminton Open Super Series title
- SRM University awards honorary doctorate of literature
Saina Nehwal awarded Honorary Doctorate of Letters from SRM University
- Padma Shri Award
Saina Nehwal wins Padma Shri award
2017
- Malaysian Masters Champion
- Glasgow World Badminton Championships Bronze Medal
2018
- Commonwealth Games women’s singles gold medal
- Commonwealth Games badminton mixed team gold medal
Saina Nehwal wins gold medal in badminton mixed team event at Commonwealth Games 2018
- Asian Badminton Championship Bronze Medal
fact
- Saina Nehwal has a brown belt in karate.
- Sachin Tendulkar gifted her BMW to her after winning Olympic gold in 2012.
Sachin Tendulkar gifts BMW to Saina Nehwal
- She is a huge fan of Roger Federer and Sachin Tendulkar.
- She is a philanthropist and ranks 18th on the list of most philanthropic athletes.
- Saina Nehwal is also a member of the Athletes Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
- She has endorsed many well-known brands such as Edelweiss Group, Fulinmen Edible Oil, Emami, Vaseline, Godrej No Marks, Huawei Honor Mobile Phone, Star Sports, NECC, Indian Overseas Bank, Herbalife Nutrition, Yonex, Iodex, Sahara Group, Top Ramen Noodles, etc. brand.
- In 2012, her autobiography “Fighting to Win: My Life on and Off the Court” was published.
Saina Nehwal’s autobiography “Fighting to Win – My Life on and Off the Field”
- In the same year, Saina signed an endorsement deal worth Rs 40 million with renowned sports management company Rhiti Sports, but in 2013, she terminated her agreement with the company and signed with KWAN Entertainment & Marketing Solutions.
- She has made guest appearances in several famous television shows such as Satyamev Jayate, Comedy Nights with Kapil and The Kapil Sharma Show.
- She has also appeared on the covers of several popular magazines including Femina and Women’s Health.
Saina Nehwal on the cover of Women’s Health magazine
- Olympic Gold Quest, a non-profit company, supports her.
- Chaudhry Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar; Saina Nehwal Institute of Agricultural Technology, Training and Education is named after her.
Saina Nevar Institute of Agricultural Technology, Training and Education
- Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu are her all-time favorite actors.
- Saina Nehwal loves traveling and Singapore is her favorite destination.
- She likes to eat kiwi fruit and Aloo Paratha.
- She is a dog lover.
Saina Nehwal loves dogs
- In November 2023, Saina and Parupalli added a Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53 to their car collection.
Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap in Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education