Playing the long game   

As I talk to Nehwal, it quickly becomes apparent that her greatest strength comes from how she thinks – and not just in obvious areas like on-court strategy and grit. For someone who stresses how competitive she was growing up, Nehwal is remarkably sanguine about the actual outcomes of her matches.

“Sport can be really harsh to you, as can every professional field,” Nehwal says. “But the mind will take you really, really far. In difficult times, you learn to be quiet. To think about what's going wrong, to do things correctly. Then you wait for your time to come back again.”

Nehwal credits her parents, both of whom played badminton competitively, with imparting this more balanced mindset towards competition. Her father, a university professor, famously drew down his pension fund to pay for higher-quality training. Her mother, a former state player, instilled a fierce discipline in everything from diet to physical training to on-court resilience. Today, both provide much-needed encouragement and a reality check when sporting pressures threaten to boil over. 

“Whenever I talk to them (about my struggles), they tell me: don't worry, you know, everyone is trying their level best. Everyone wants to win,” Nehwal says. “But you cannot give up at this stage when you have achieved so much for India, you have done well. So be patient, go and do your training.

“And when I am in training, when I do something which is related to the fitness or on court, I forget everything else. I am so happy.”

I ask Nehwal if she ever gets bored with her job. After all, few millennials I know have persisted in the same career for 23 years. “Of course,” she says. “(Elite athletes) are no different – we cry, we do silly things, we get bored. But it’s just for one or two days, and then you’re like: I want to play again.”

“One day your body will say you can’t do it anymore, and that’s where you stop. But till that day I want to enjoy it, do my best, and take whatever beatings I can take.”

Perhaps that’s what separates competitors from champions: a willingness to not just absorb challenges but learn to enjoy them. Though Nehwal credits her parents with sharpening her ambition – and stresses the importance of parenting in developing early athletes – she’s quick to point out that second-hand ambition can only get a player so far.

“You need to want to complete the coach’s program, finish every training,” Nehwal says. “Those with discipline, hard work, that mindset that they will be the best in the world – I’ve seen 90 percent of these people come out as winners.”

It’s about consistency in attitude not just athleticism. Nehwal tells me that even after the inevitable end of her on-court career, she’ll persist with the sport in some fashion. “Badminton players don’t know anything else”, she quips. Just like how preparation for the Olympics starts four years before the competition, her two decades of winning and losing have prepared her for whatever new challenges lie ahead.

“Sometimes you feel the end is coming closer and it’s even more difficult to digest,” says Nehwal. “But I’m blessed I got so many chances to stand on the podium for India. And that motivation keeps me going.”

“It’s tough, but you just make your mind strong and fight it out. Having a target, challenging yourself, that’s what it means to live.”