Saina Nehwal - wikipedia Saina Nehwal Saina Nehwal Nehwal in 2011 Birth name Saina Nehwal Country India ( 1990 - 03 - 17 ) 17 March 1990 ( age 27 ) Hisar, Haryana Residence Hyderabad, India Height 1.65 m ( 5 ft 5 in ) Weight 67 kg ( 148 lb ) Handedness Right - handed Coach Pullela Gopichand Women 's singles Career title ( s ) 20 Highest ranking 1 ( 2 April 2015 ) Current ranking 11 ( 27 Oct 2017 ) Medal record Women 's badminton Representing India Olympic Games 2012 London Women 's singles World Championships 2015 Jakarta Women 's Singles 2017 Glasgow Women 's Singles Asian Championships 2010 New Delhi Women 's singles 2016 Wuhan Women 's singles Uber Cup 2014 New Delhi Team 2016 Kunshan Team Asian Games 2014 Incheon Women 's team Commonwealth Games 2010 New Delhi Women 's singles 2010 New Delhi Mixed Team 2006 Melbourne Mixed Team World Junior Championships 2008 Pune Girls ' singles 2006 Incheon Girls ' singles Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 Pune Girls ' singles 2004 Bendigo Mixed team BWF profile Updated on 26 August 2017. Saina Nehwal ( pronunciation ( help info ) ; born 17 March 1990 ) is an Indian professional badminton singles player. Nehwal, the former world no. 1 has won over twenty one international titles, which include ten Superseries titles. Although she reached to the world no. 2 ranking in 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was able to attain the world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and overall the second Indian player -- after Prakash Padukone -- to achieve this feat. She has represented India three times in the Olympics, winning bronze medal in her second appearance. Nehwal has achieved several milestones in badminton for India. She is the only Indian to have won at least a medal in every BWF major individual event, namely the Olympics, the BWF World Championships, and the BWF World Junior Championships. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, along with being the only Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships or to have reached to the final of the BWF World Championships. In 2006, Nehwal became the first Indian female and the youngest Asian to win a 4 - star tournament. She also has the distinction of being the first Indian to win a Super Series title. In the 2014 Uber Cup, she captained the Indian team and remained undefeated, helping India to win bronze medal. It was India 's first medal in any BWF major team event. She is a role model to many young badminton players. Considered one of the most successful Indian sportspersons, she is credited for increasing the popularity of badminton in India. In 2016, the Government of India ( GoI ) conferred the Padma Bhushan -- India 's third highest civilian award -- on her. Previously, the nation 's top two sporting honours, namely the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award, were also conferred on her by the GoI. Contents 1 Personal life 2 Achievements 2.1 2006 -- 2009 2.3 2011 2.4 2012 -- 2013 2.5 2014 2.6 2015 2.7 2016 2.8 2017 3 Honours 4 International titles and runners - up 4.1 Individual titles ( 21 ) 4.2 Individual runners - up ( 8 ) 4.3 Individual Junior titles ( 3 ) 4.4 Individual Junior runners - up ( 1 ) 4.5 National titles and runners - up 4.5. 1 National Junior / Senior titles ( 12 ) 4.5. 2 National Junior / Senior runners - up ( 1 ) 4.6 Singles performance timeline 4.7 Record against top ranked players 4.8 Summer Olympics 4.8. 1 2008 Summer Olympics 4.8. 2 2012 Summer Olympics 4.8. 3 2016 Summer Olympics 5 Awards 6 Endorsements 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Personal life Saina Nehwal, the second daughter of Harvir Singh Nehwal and Usha Rani Nehwal, was born in Hindu Jat family in Hisar. Her father worked in CCS HAU. She completed her first few years of schooling at Campus School CCS HAU, Hisar. The family later shifted to Hyderabad. Nehwal also has a brown belt in Karate. Saina did her Xll from St. Ann 's College Mehdipatnam Hyderabad. Achievements 2006 -- 2009 In 2006, Saina became the under - 19 national champion and created history by winning the prestigious Asian Satellite Badminton tournament ( India Chapter ) twice, becoming the first player to do so. In May 2006, the 16 - year - old Saina became the first Indian woman and the youngest player from Asia to win a 4 - star tournament -- the Philippines Open. Entering the tournament as the 86th seed, Saina went on to stun several top seeded players including the then world number four Xu Huaiwen before defeating Julia Wong Pei Xian of Malaysia for the title. The same year Saina was also the runner up at the 2006 BWF World Junior Championships, where she lost a hard fought match against top seed Chinese Wang Yihan. She did one better in the 2008 by becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships by defeating ninth seeded Japanese Sayaka Sato 21 -- 9, 21 -- 18. She became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games when she upset world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three - game thriller. In the quarter - finals Saina lost a nail biting 3 - gamer to world number 16 Maria Kristin Yulianti. In September 2008, she won the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2008 beating Lydia Cheah Li Ya of Malaysia 21 -- 8 21 -- 19. Maria Yulianti had earlier lost her quarter - final match to Pia Bernadet, Saina 's semi-final opponent, thus denying Saina a rematch. Saina was named `` The Most Promising Player '' in 2008. She reached the world super series semifinals in the month of December 2008. In June 2009, she became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series title, the most prominent badminton series of the world by winning the Indonesia Open. She beat Chinese Wang Lin in the final 12 -- 21, 21 -- 18, 21 -- 9. Saina on winning the tournament said, `` I had been longing to win a super series tournament since my quarter final appearance at the Olympics ''. Saina is on the par with the likes of Prakash Padukone and her mentor Pullela Gopichand who both won the all England championships which are of similar status to the super series. In August 2009, she reached to the quarterfinals of the World Championships, losing to the second seed Wang Lin. Saina successfully led the Indian Women Team to the Quarter - finals stage of the 2010 Uber Cup finals. Saina became the first Indian Woman to reach the semi finals of 2010 All - England Super Series before losing to eventual champion Tine Rasmussen. Top seeded Saina reached the semifinals of Yonex Sunrise Badminton Asia Championships 2010 losing out to unseeded eventual champion Li Xuerui of China. Saina 's Coach Gopichand advised her not exert too much pressure on herself due to the overwhelming home crowd support. Saina wins the 2010 India Open Grand Prix Gold, beating Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia in the final and thus justifying her billing as top seed in the tournament. She won a prize money of $8,280 for winning this BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament. Nehwal, again seeded no. 1 in the Singapore Open Super Series 2010, entered the finals defeating World champion Lu Lan of China. Saina won the second Super Series title of her career by beating qualifier Tai Tzu - Ying of Chinese Taipei in the final of the Singapore Open 21 -- 18, 21 -- 15. But the fact that she won the tournament in the absence of all the top 5 ranked players takes a little sheen away from her path breaking victory. Saina won a prize money of $15,000 for winning this BWF Super Series tournament. Saina reached a career high of world no. 3 in the women 's singles badminton world rankings on 24 June 2010. Saina defended her Indonesia Open super series title in three tough games against Sayaka Sato of Japan, 21 -- 19, 13 -- 21, 21 -- 11. This is her third super series title and her third successive title following wins at Indian open, Singapore Super series. She again won the top prize money of $18,750 for winning this BWF Super Series tournament. On 15 July 2010, with 64791.26 points Saina Nehwal reached a career high world ranking of No. 2 only behind Wang Yihan of China. 2nd seed Saina, a tournament favourite, crashed out of the 2010 BWF World Championships in Paris after losing to 4th ranked Chinese Wang Shixian in straight sets 8 -- 21, 14 -- 21. She although equalled her tournament best performance, as she was also a losing quarter - finalist in the last edition held in Hyderabad. She subsequently dropped a spot to be No. 3 in the world rankings. Top seed Saina, won the gold medal in the Women 's Singles badminton event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi. She beat Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia 19 -- 21 23 -- 21 21 -- 13. After her win Saina said, `` when I was a match - point down, it was like a shock. It was a big match and winning it means a lot to me. Even many years from now, those present here will always remember how Saina won the gold. It is a proud feeling ''. In the BWF Super Series ranking for the year 2010 ( which only considers the performances of players in the elite world super series tournaments ), as on 27 September 2010, Saina has dropped to No. 7 from a high of No. 1 after giving a miss to 2010 China Masters Super Series and 2010 Japan Super Series due to her preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As on 5 Dec 2010, for the first time in the year Saina Nehwal dropped out of the top 10 best performers in the 2010 BWF Super Series rankings. Saina Nehwal confirmed her participation for the 2010 Hong Kong Super series to held from 7 to 12 Dec 2010 and is also the penultimate super series tournament of the year. This would be Saina 's first super series tournament after a gap of more than 5 months since her win in the 2010 Indonesia Super Series in June 2010. On 12 December 2010, Saina Nehwal defeated Wang Shixian 15 -- 21, 21 -- 16, 21 -- 17 in the final of the 2010 Hong Kong Super Series to win her fourth career Super Series title. 2011 Fourth - seed Saina Nehwal crashed out of the 2011 Korea Open Super Series Premier on 27 January 2011 in the second round. She was defeated by the Japanese Sayaka Sato in a tight three - set match with score 17 -- 21, 21 -- 19 and 21 -- 11. Fifth - seed Saina was disappointed when she was defeated by Eriko Hirose of Japan at 2011 All England Super Series Premier on 11 March 2011. She was defeated in straight sets with a score of 21 -- 11 and 22 -- 20. It was her second early exit of the year after being defeated in Korean Premium Super Series earlier in January. One week later, on 17 March 2011, she met Eriko Hirose again ( in the second round of the Wilson Badminton Swiss Open ), but managed to win this time in three games 21 -- 15, 17 -- 21 and 21 -- 11 -- on her birthday. 2nd seed Saina Nehwal beat Ji Hyun Sung of South Korea 21 -- 13, 21 -- 14 to win the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title on 20 March 2011. Saina posed an early exit from the Indian Open Super Series in Delhi. She disappointed the home crowd being defeated by Ai Goto of Japan in straight games, 21 -- 17 and 21 -- 19. Saina Nehwal faltered after a good start as she lost to the then world number three Wang Xin of China in the finals to finish runner - up in the 2011 Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold tournament on 8 May 2011. Saina Nehwal participated in the 2011 BWF Double Star Sudirman Cup Mixed team event, she won her first match against Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei which was a tough three setter 21 -- 10, 12 -- 21 21 -- 17, but India lost the tie 3 -- 2. She was then shocked in her second match by current Junior World Champion and 16 - year - old teen sensation Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand losing in straight sets 21 -- 14, 22 -- 20, but India managed to beat Thailand 3 -- 2 in the tie to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the Elite mixed team event for the first time in the history of the tournament. In the quarterfinals against the mighty Chinese, Saina put up her best performance and beat the then World number two Xin Wang in straight sets 21 -- 15, 21 -- 11, but still the Chinese managed to move into the semi finals with a 3 -- 1 win over India. Saina lost to Li Xuerui of China in the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open GP Gold. Defending Champion Saina lost to Cheng Shao - chieh of Chinese Taipei in the second round of Singapore Open Super Series. Saina, in her attempt to record a third straight win at the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier, reached the finals where she lost to Wang Yihan of China to finish as runner - up, on 26 June. Nehwal crashed out of World Championship 2011 as she lost 15 -- 21, 10 -- 21 to World Number 3 Wang Xin of China in a lop - sided women 's singles match. Saina, who reached the quarterfinals in the last two editions of the event, had to be content with yet another last - eight finish. She lost in the quarter finals of 2011 China Masters Super Series against World No. 1 Wang Yihan of China in straight games, 8 -- 21, 12 -- 21. Saina lost in the semi finals of 2011 Japan Super Series against Juliane Schenk of Germany in straight games 19 -- 21, 10 -- 21. In the 2011 Denmark Super Series Premier, she lost to 17 - year - old teen Tai Tzu - ying of Taiwan in straight games 19 -- 21, 13 -- 21 in the second round. Saina repeated her second - round exit in the 2011 French Super Series as she lost to World No. 16 Li Xuerui of China in straight games 18 -- 21, 29 -- 30. Saina lost in quarter finals of 2011 Hong Kong Super Series against World No. 7 Tine Baun of Denmark in straight games 16 -- 21, 15 -- 21. Saina was defeated in the first round of 2011 China Open Super Series Premier by World No. 8 Bae Youn - joo of South Korea 21 -- 15, 22 -- 24, 15 -- 21. During the season ending tournament in December, Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian singles player to reach the final of BWF Super Series Masters Finals after defeating World No. 5 Tine Baun of Denmark to cruise 21 -- 17, 21 -- 18 in the semifinals of the 2011 BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Liuzhou ( China ). She went on to lose the final 21 -- 18, 13 -- 21, 13 -- 21 against the World No. 1 Chinese Wang Yihan in a contest lasting over an hour. 2012 -- 2013 Saina successfully did her Swiss Open Title by defeating World No 2 Wang Shixian of China 21 -- 19 21 -- 16 on 18 March 2012, a day after she turned 22 years old. On 10 June 2012, Saina defeated Thailand 's Ratchanok Inthanon 19 -- 21 21 -- 15 21 -- 10, to lift the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold title. On 17 June 2012, Saina Nehwal won the Indonesia Open Super Series by defeating World No. 3 Li Xuerui of China 13 -- 21, 22 -- 20 21 -- 19. It was her 3rd Indonesia Open title. On 4 August 2012, she won the bronze medal at the London Olympics when China 's Wang Xin retired from the match after an injury with the match at 18 -- 21, 0 -- 1. On 21 October 2012, she won the Denmark Open Super Series Premier after defeating Wang Yihan 21 -- 12 12 -- 7 in the semifinal. Yihan got retired hurt in this match after losing first set and trailing in second set. In the final Saina defeated Juliane Schenk of Germany in two straight sets to lift her first Denmark open trophy. 2014 On 26 January 2014 Saina defeated World Championship bronze medalist P.V. Sindhu 21 -- 14, 21 -- 17 to win the Women 's Singles of India Open Grand Prix Gold Tournament. On March, 2014 World No. 4 Saina Nehwal, who had a win - loss record of 4 -- 2 against the Chinese ace Wang Shixian, crashed out of the 2014 All England Super Series Premier after losing her quarter - final match. Saina took revenge of All England loss by defeating Wang Shixian in semifinals of 2014 Australian Super Series. In final on June 29, 2014 Saina defeated Spain 's Carolina Marin 21 -- 18, 21 -- 11 to win Women 's Singles of 2014 Australian Super Series. The win helped her to reach the ranking of World no. 7, climbing two spots. She became the 1st Indian woman to win the China Open Super Series Premier by beating Japan 's Akane Yamaguchi 21 -- 12, 22 -- 20 in the final. 2015 Defending Champion Saina Nehwal won the 2015 India Open Grand Prix Gold by defeating Spain 's Carolina Marin in the Final. She became the first Indian woman shuttler to reach the finals of All England Open Badminton Championships, but lost to Carolina in the final. On 29 March 2015, Saina won her maiden women 's singles title at the India Open BWF Super Series beating Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. This assured her of becoming World number 1 when the latest BWF rankings were released on April 2. Thus, she became the first Indian women 's player to be World No. 1 in badminton. On 16th Aug 2015, Saina went down fighting to Carolina Marin again, in the Final of World Badminton Championships held in Jakarta, settling for the Silver. defending champion Saina Nehwal fought hard before going down to Li Xuerei in the final of china open 2016 Saina dealt with injuries in the starting of 2016 but she eventually recovered. She, the defending champion lost to the reigning Olympic Champion Li Xuerui in a hard fought match at the India Open in the semifinals. She registered semifinal finishes at the India Open and Malaysia Open. She reached the semifinals of the Badminton Asia Championships after defeating the third seed Wang Shixian ( 21 -- 16 21 -- 19 ) in the quarterfinals, but lost to Wang Yihan in the semifinals. She settled for bronze, her second in the Asian Championships after 2010. In June 2016, she competed at the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier, she reached the quarterfinals where she lost to the top seed Carolina Marin with the score of 22 -- 24, 11 -- 21. At the Australian Super Series, after registering victories in straight games against unseeded players, Saina reached to the quarterfinals, where she won a hard - fought match against the second seed Ratchanok Intanon by 28 -- 26, 21 -- 16. After registering victory in the semifinals against the world no. 2 Wang Yihan by 21 -- 8, 21 -- 12, she won her first title of the year after defeating China 's Sun Yu in the final by 11 -- 21, 21 -- 14, 21 -- 19. Making her third appearance at the Olympics, Nehwal, the fifth seed, won her opening match against the unseeded Lohaynny Vicente in straight games. However, she lost her second match against the world no. 61 Marija Ulitina by 18 -- 21, 19 -- 21, thereby making exit at the group stage. Her coach cited the week - old knee injury for her below par performance at the event. 2017 Saina entered 2017 with maiden Malaysia open Grand prix Gold title. In august she was seeded 12th in World Badminton Champioships at Glasgow. Nehwal again dug deep into her reservoir to eke out a 21 - 19 18 - 21 21 - 15 win over world No. 31 Kristy Gilmour of Scotland in the quaterfinal. However she lost in the semifinal in tight 3 setter to eventual winner Nozomi Okhuhara of Japan thus bagging bronze medal. This is Saina 's second consecutive medal at World Badminton Championship and a record breaking 7th consecutive quarterfinal. She then won the 82nd national badminton championship by beating pv sindhu in the final. Honours Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for Badminton Arjuna Award for Badminton Padma Bhushan for Badminton International titles and runners - up Individual titles ( 21 ) S. No. Year Tournament Opponent in final Score 2006 Philippines Open Julia Wong Pei Xian 21 -- 15, 22 -- 20 2008 Chinese Taipei Open Lydia Cheah 12 -- 21, 21 -- 18, 21 -- 9 2009 India Grand Prix Aditi Mutatkar 21 -- 17, 21 -- 13 2009 Indonesia Open Wang Lin 12 -- 21, 21 -- 18, 21 -- 9 5 India Open Wong Mew Choo 20 -- 22, 21 -- 14, 21 -- 12 6 Singapore Open Tai Tzu - ying 21 -- 18, 21 -- 15 7 Indonesia Open Sayaka Sato 21 -- 19, 13 -- 21, 21 -- 11 8 Commonwealth Games Wong Mew Choo 21 - 19, 21 - 23, 13 - 21 9 Hong Kong Open Wang Shixian 15 -- 21, 21 -- 16, 21 -- 17 10 2011 Swiss Open Sung Ji - hyun 21 -- 13, 21 -- 14 11 2012 Swiss Open Wang Shixian 21 -- 19, 21 -- 16 12 2012 Thailand Open Ratchanok Inthanon 19 -- 21, 21 -- 15, 21 -- 10 13 2012 Indonesia Open Li Xuerui 13 -- 21, 22 -- 20, 21 -- 19 14 2012 Denmark Open Juliane Schenk 21 -- 17, 21 -- 8 15 2014 India Grand Prix Gold P.V. Sindhu 21 -- 14, 21 -- 17 16 2014 Australian Open Carolina Marín 21 -- 18, 21 -- 11 17 2014 China Open Akane Yamaguchi 21 -- 12, 22 -- 20 18 2015 Syed Modi International Carolina Marín 19 -- 21, 25 -- 23, 21 -- 16 19 2015 India Open Ratchanok Intanon 21 -- 16, 21 -- 14 20 2016 Australian Open Sun Yu 11 -- 21, 21 -- 14, 21 -- 19 21 2017 Malaysia Masters Pornpawee Chochuwong 22 - 20, 22 - 20 Individual runners - up ( 8 ) S. No. Year Tournament Opponent in final Score 2007 India International Challenge Kanako Yonekura 13 -- 21, 18 -- 21 2011 Malaysia Masters Wang Xin 21 -- 13, 8 -- 21, 14 -- 21 2011 Indonesia Open Wang Yihan 21 -- 12, 21 -- 23, 14 -- 21 2011 Super Series Masters Finals Wang Yihan 21 -- 18, 13 -- 21, 13 -- 21 5 2012 French Open Minatsu Mitani 19 -- 21, 11 -- 21 6 2015 All England Carolina Marín 21 -- 16, 14 -- 21, 7 -- 21 7 2015 World Championships Carolina Marín 16 -- 21, 19 -- 21 8 2015 China Open Li Xuerui 12 -- 21, 15 -- 21 BWF Event Multi-sport event Super Series Premier / Finals Super Series Grand Prix Gold Grand Prix International Challenge Individual Junior titles ( 3 ) S. No. Year Tournament Opponent in final Score 2003 Czech Junior International ( de ) Yana Vorotnykova 11 -- 3, 11 -- 6 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games N. Sikki Reddy 23 -- 21, 22 -- 20 2008 World Junior Championships Sayaka Sato 21 -- 9, 21 -- 18 BWF Event Individual Junior runners - up ( 1 ) S. No. Year Tournament Opponent in final Score 2006 World Junior Championships Wang Yihan 13 -- 21, 9 -- 21 BWF Event National titles and runners - up National Junior / Senior titles ( 12 ) S. No. Year Tournament Age group Format Partner Opponent ( s ) in final Score Ref. 2002 Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship Under 13 Singles N / A Parsa Naqvi 11 -- 0, 11 -- 4 2002 Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship Under 13 Doubles Pizza Bharali Mudra Dhainje / Fernaz Jasdanwala 11 -- 5, 11 -- 4 2002 Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship Under 16 Doubles Aparna Balan Manisha Eswarappa / Y.K. Subrata 11 -- 2, 11 -- 3 2003 Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship Under 16 Singles N / A Anjali Kalita 11 -- 3, 11 -- 13, 11 -- 2 5 2003 Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship Under 16 Doubles Jyotshna P G.M. Nischitha / Madhuri Vijay 15 -- 6, 15 -- 7 6 Junior National badminton championships Under 19 Singles N / A Ridhi Pajwani 11 -- 2, 11 -- 4 7 Junior National badminton championships Under 19 Doubles Aparna Balan T. Soumya / Ashwini Chowdary 15 -- 6, 15 -- 10 8 2005 Junior National badminton championships Under 19 Singles N / A Aditi Mutatkar 11 -- 5, 13 -- 10 9 2005 Junior National badminton championships Under 19 Doubles Aparna Balan V. Ruth Misha / Saumya Padhye 15 -- 2, 15 -- 4 10 2007 Senior National Badminton Championships Senior Singles N / A Aditi Mutatkar 21 -- 19, 21 -- 16 11 2007 National Games Senior Singles N / A Aditi Mutatkar 24 -- 22, 21 -- 15 12 2008 Senior National Badminton Championships Senior Singles N / A Trupti Murgunde 21 -- 11, 21 -- 10 National Junior / senior runners - up ( 1 ) S. No. Year Tournament Age group Format Partner Opponent ( s ) in final Score Ref. 2006 Senior National Badminton Championships Senior Singles N / A Aparna Popat 11 -- 13, 3 -- 11 Career overview Singles Played Wins Losses Balance Total * 477 339 138 + 201 Current year ( 2016 ) * 24 17 8 + 10 Doubles Played Wins Losses Balance Total * 33 9 24 − 15 Current year ( 2016 ) * 0 0 0 0 * Statistics were last updated on 4 June 2016. Event 2008 2012 2016 Summer Olympics QF 03 ! Bronze Group Stage Event 2006 Commonwealth Games 03 ! Bronze 01 ! Gold Event 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games 02 ! Silver 01 ! Gold Singles Titles Type No. of titles Super Series Premier Super Series 6 Grand Prix Gold 8 Grand Prix Others Total 23 Singles performance timeline Key SF QF # R RR Q # SF - B NH N / A Tournament 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 SR Best BWF events BWF World Junior Championships 2R NH N / A 1 / 3 W ( ' 08 ) BWF World Championships NH 1R 3R NH QF QF QF NH QF QF NH 0 / 8 F ( ' 15 ) Olympics N / A NH QF NH NH RR 0 / 3 SF ( ' 12 ) BWF Super Series All England Super Series Premier N / A 2R 1R 1R SF QF QF SF QF QF 0 / 10 F ( ' 15 ) India Open Super Series NH N / A 1R 2R 2R QF SF 1 / 6 W ( ' 15 ) Malaysia Super Series Premier N / A Absent QF QF SF SF 2R SF SF 0 / 7 SF ( ' 12, ' 13, ' 15, ' 16 ) Singapore Open Super Series N / A SF QF 2R QF 1R Absent 1 / 6 W ( ' 10 ) Indonesia Super Series Premier N / A 2R SF QF QF QF 3 / 9 W ( ' 09, ' 10, ' 12 ) Australian Open Super Series N / A QF 2 / 3 W ( ' 14, ' 16 ) Japan Open Super Series N / A 1R 1R SF Absent 2R 0 / 4 SF ( ' 11 ) Korea Open Super Series N / A Absent 2R 2R QF QF Absent 0 / 4 QF ( ' 12, ' 13 ) Denmark Super Series Premier N / A 1R QF 2R QF QF 2R 1 / 7 W ( ' 12 ) French Open Super Series N / A Absent QF 2R 2R QF QF 0 / 6 F ( ' 12 ) China Open Super Series Premier N / A 1R 1R 2R 1R 2R 1R 1 / 7 W ( ' 14 ) Hong Kong Open Super Series N / A 1R QF 1R QF 2R 2R QF QF 1 / 8 W ( ' 10 ) Swiss Open Super Series N / A 1R 2R QF N / A 0 / 3 QF ( ' 09 ) China Masters Super Series NH N / A SF Absent QF Absent N / A 0 / 2 SF ( ' 08 ) BWF Super Series Masters Finals NH SF SF SF RR SF RR 0 / 7 F ( ' 11 ) BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold NH QF Absent 1 / 3 W ( ' 17 ) Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold N / A NH Absent 1R NH 3 / 4 W ( ' 09, ' 14, ' 15 ) Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold N / A SF QF SF 2 / 5 W ( ' 11, ' 12 ) Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold N / A Absent 1 / 1 W ( ' 08 ) Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold N / A 1R QF NH QF QF NH 1 / 5 W ( ' 12 ) India Open Grand Prix Gold NH 2R QF N / A 1 / 3 W ( ' 10 ) Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Absent QF 0 / 1 QF ( ' 16 ) Other Events Commonwealth Games NH 3R NH NH NH 1 / 2 W ( ' 10 ) Asian Games NH 2R NH QF NH QF NH 0 / 3 QF ( ' 10, ' 14 ) Asian Championships Absent 2R 2R 1R 1R 2R Absent QF 0 / 8 SF ( ' 10, ' 16 ) Philippines Open NH 1R NH NH 1 / 2 W ( ' 06 ) India Satellite NH 2 / 2 W ( ' 05, ' 06 ) Year - end Ranking 8 8 10 Record against top ranked players Record against Super Series finalists, World Championships semifinalists and Olympic quarterfinalists ( as of 12 June 2016 ) : Opponent Record Opponent Record Opponent Record Carolina Marin 5 -- 4 Wang Yihan 5 -- 11 Wang Xin 3 -- 4 Jiang Yanjiao 0 -- 5 Lu Lan 4 -- 1 Wang Lin 2 -- 4 Li Xuerui 2 -- 12 Xie Xingfang 0 -- 2 Wang Shixian 7 -- 7 Tine Baun 5 -- 4 Juliane Schenk 8 -- 4 Cheng Shao - Chieh 3 -- 1 Tai Tzu - ying 5 -- 8 Bae Yeon - ju 9 -- 4 Sung Ji - hyun 9 -- 2 Eriko Hirose 4 -- 5 Nozomi Okuhara 6 -- 2 Minatsu Mitani 6 -- 4 Petya Nedelcheva 6 -- 2 Pi Hongyan 1 -- 5 Yip Pui Yin 6 -- 2 Zhou Mi 1 -- 3 Wang Chen 1 -- 3 Wong Mew Choo 5 -- 2 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 8 -- 1 Ratchanok Inthanon 8 -- 5 Lindaweni Fanetri 3 -- 1 Maria Kristin Yulianti 0 -- 1 Zhang Ning 0 -- 1 Zhu Lin 2 -- 2 Lianne Tan 1 -- 0 Ella Diehl 5 -- 0 Sayaka Sato 5 -- 1 P.V. Sindhu 1 -- 1 Sun Yu 6 -- 2 Larisa Griga 1 -- 0 Summer Olympics 2008 Summer Olympics Stage Opponent Result Games Points First Round Diehl ( RUS ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 9, 21 -- 8 Second Round Griga ( UKR ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 18, 21 -- 10 Third Round Wang Chen ( HKG ) Won 2 -- 1 21 -- 19, 11 -- 21, 21 -- 11 Quarter - finals Yulianti ( INA ) Lost 1 -- 2 28 -- 26, 14 -- 21, 15 -- 21 2012 Summer Olympics Stage Opponent Result Games Points Group Stage Jaquet ( SUI ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 9, 21 -- 4 Group Stage L Tan ( BEL ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 4, 21 -- 14 Octo - finals Yao Jie ( NED ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 14, 21 -- 16 Quarter - finals Tine Baun ( DEN ) Won 2 -- 0 21 -- 15, 22 -- 20 Semi-finals Wang Yihan ( CHN ) Lost 0 -- 2 13 -- 21, 13 -- 21 Bronze Medal Match Wang Xin ( CHN ) Won 0 -- 1 18 -- 21, 0 -- 1 retired 2016 Summer Olympics Stage Opponent Result Games Points Group Stage Vicente ( BRA ) won 2 -- 0 21 -- 17, 21 -- 17 Group Stage Ulitina ( UKR ) lost 0 -- 2 18 -- 21, 19 -- 21 Awards Most Promising Player of the Year ( 2008 ) award by Badminton World Federation Arjuna Award ( 2009 ) Padma Shri ( 2010 ) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna ( 2009 -- 2010 ) Padma Bhushan ( 2016 ) For the Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics ₹ 10 million ( US $160,000 ) cash award from the Haryana Government. ₹ 5 million ( US $78,000 ) cash award from the Rajasthan Government. ₹ 5 million ( US $78,000 ) cash award from the Andhra Pradesh Government. ₹ 1 million ( US $16,000 ) cash award from the Badminton Association of India. Honorary Doctorate Degree by Mangalayatan University Honorary Doctorate Degree by SRM University Endorsements In 2002, sports brand Yonex offered to sponsor Saina 's kit. As her status and rankings improved, the sponsorships increased. In 2004, BPCL ( Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited ) signed the rising star. She is one of the athletes supported by Olympic Gold Quest. She is the brand ambassador of Sahara India Pariwar. Saina endorses Herbalife, Top Ramen Noodles, Fortune Cooking Oil, NECC, Indian Overseas Bank, Vaseline, Sahara and Yonex. Most recently Saina Nehwal was announced as the brand ambassador for Honor, the Huawei smartphone sub-brand. She had signed an endorsement deal worth Rs. 400 million with the popular sports management firm Rhiti Sports in 2012. However, she severed this deal in 2013 and signed up with KWAN entertainment and marketing solutions for an undisclosed sum. She has a dedicated sporting range with the multinational sports goods manufacturer Yonex, 4 % of the profits of which goes to her. Apart from endorsements, she has also been invited on popular Indian television shows as a guest including Satyamev Jayate, Comedy Nights with Kapil, The Kapil Sharma Show. As of April 2017, A biopic directed by Amol Gupte will be made on her and actress Shraddha Kapoor will play the title role. See also Pullela Gopichand P.V. Sindhu Badminton in India Shraddha Kapoor India national badminton team References ^ Jump up to : T.S. Sudhir : Saina Nehwal -- An Insipirational Biography, Nimby Books ( Westland Publications ), 2012, ISBN 978 - 8190657037 Jump up ^ Krishnan, Madhuvanti S. ( 27 August 2015 ). `` Breaking the jinx ''. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal remade in China ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 7 March 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal ''. Sports Reference. Retrieved 24 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` BWF World Rankings : Ranking week : 4 / 2 / 2015 ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 14 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` It 's official, Saina Nehwal is World No. 1 badminton player ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` BWF World Rankings -- BWF ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ Selvaraj, Jonathan ( 29 March 2015 ). `` Saina Nehwal smashes new mark : First Indian woman to be World No. 1 ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Twitter round : Who says what on Saina Nehwal 's Australia Super Series win ''. Zee News. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 ''. tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Vij wins shot put gold ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` London 2012 Badminton : Saina Nehwal gets Bronze as Xin Wang withdraws ''. NDTV. IANS. 5 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal and Co eye another medal, uphill task for men in Thomas and Uber Cup ''. The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 14 May 2016. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ Karmarkar, Amit ( 18 August 2015 ). `` Lahiri does better than Jeev. Really ? ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ Niumata, Foster. `` Badminton boom in India sparked by Saina Nehwal 's success ''. Yahoo ! News ( 16 March 2016 ). Associated Press. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Why Haryana is India 's mine for medals ''. Times of India. Jump up ^ `` Think higher education ! Saina Nehwal : `` Do n't leave studies '' ``. Careers360. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal India Medal Hopes Badminton Delhi Commonwealth Games Profile Career -- Oneindia News ''. News.oneindia.in. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal gave up karate to embrace badminton ''. The Times Of India. 6 July 2012. Jump up ^ Saina creates history, wins Philippines Open -- The Hindu dated 29 May 2006 Jump up ^ `` Saina goes down in qualifiers ''. Rediff.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015. Jump up ^ Saina wins Chinese Taipei Open Jump up ^ `` Saina revels in global fame as Most Promising Player of 2008 ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 8 October 2015. Jump up ^ Saina only wins praises but no prize money Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal scripts history, wins Indonesian Open ''. Rediff.com. Press Trust of India. 21 June 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. Jump up ^ SamayLive : Saina becomes World No3 Jump up ^ Subrahmanyam, V.V. ( 27 June 2010 ). `` Saina Nehwal clinches third Super Series title ''. The Hindu. Chennai, India. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal Wins Gold Medal for India In Badminton ''. Retrieved 14 October 2010. Jump up ^ Rao, Rakesh ( 14 October 2010 ). `` Saina wins singles gold ''. The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 5 November 2010. Jump up ^ BWF World Super Series Ranking -- Women 's Singles Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal wins Hong Kong Open Series ''. Retrieved 12 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Early exit for Saina at Denmark Open Super Series ''. 20 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` Saina crashes out of Hong Kong Open quarters ''. 18 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` South Korean Youn Joo Bae shuts the door on Saina Nehwal at the India Open ''. Daily Mail. London. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal Beats Tine Baun in BWF Super Series Semis ''. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal loses to China 's Wang Yihan in World Super Series final ''. Retrieved 18 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal defends Swiss Open title ''. The Times Of India. Retrieved 18 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal ''. The Hindu. Chennai, India. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal wins the Indonesia Open ''. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Current Ranking ''. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal wins her third Indonesia Open title ''. 17 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Saina loses to Yihan, now faces Wang for bronze ''. The Times Of India. 4 August 2012. Jump up ^ Saina Nehwal wins Denmark Super Series Jump up ^ `` Results ''. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal dedicates her Indian Open Title to Gopichand, Parents ''. IANS. Biharprabha News. Retrieved 27 January 2014. Jump up ^ vishal kungwani Mar 8, 2014. `` Saina Nehwal loses in the quarter - finals of the 2014 All England Badminton Championships -- Sportskeeda ''. Sportskeeda.com. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal wins Women 's Singles Tile of Australian Open 2014 ''. IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal smashes new mark : First Indian woman to be World No. 1 ''. The Indian Express. 2015 - 03 - 29. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal crashes out of Indonesia Open Super Series ''. India Today. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Australian Open : Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth reach semifinals ''. The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal beats Yihan Wang to reach Australian Open final ''. The Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 11 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` XIAMENAIR Australian Badminton Open ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 12 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Rio : Saina Nehwal suffers shock defeat, crashes out of women 's singles event ''. The Hindu. PTI. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal was playing with a knee injury, reveals coach Vimal Kumar after Rio Olympics exit ''. Daily News and Analysis. PTI. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016. Jump up ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/badminton/world-badminton-championships-saina-nehwal-loses-in-semis-settles-for-bronze.At the 82nd senior national championships, Saina Nehwal defeated the Rio olympics silver medallist Pusarla. V. Sindhu by the score of 21 - 18 27 - 25 to take the national title for the third time in her career / articleshow / 60235573. cms Jump up ^ https://www.sportskeeda.com/badminton/world-badminton-championships-2017-saina-nehwal-talks-about-surprising-schedule-wishes-she-could-push-more Jump up ^ `` Saina creates history, wins Philippines Open ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 28 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` JAYPEE CUP SYED MODI MEMORIAL INDIA GRAND PRIX 2009 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` DJARUM INDONESIA SUPER SERIES 2009 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` INDIA GRAND PRIX GOLD 2010 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 13 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` INDIA INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE 2007 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` YONEX - SUNRISE Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold 2011 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina, Anand do India proud ''. The Hindu. 20 November 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 : Draws : WS ''. tournament software. Retrieved 8 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` CYG 2008 : Badminton : Women 's Singles '' ( PDF ). Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 29 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Bahniman and Krishna Deka triumph ''. The Hindu. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Double delight for Saina ''. The Hindu. 17 October 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Chopda, Saina bag double ''. Deccan Herald. PTI. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Saina, Kashyap triumph ''. The Hindu. 3 December 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Chetan, Saina champions ''. Deccan Herald. PTI. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Big triumph for Kashyap ''. The Hindu. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2015. Jump up ^ Suryanarayan, S.R. ( 28 January 2008 ). `` Chetan Anand, Saina Nehwal retain titles ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 30 September 2015. Jump up ^ Kalyan, Ashok ( 12 January 2006 ). `` No stopping Aparna ''. The Hindu. Retrieved 5 July 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina NEHWAL -- Career overview ''. bwfbadminton.org. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 4 June 2016. Jump up ^ `` Badminton > Round of 16 Match 40 -- Result ''. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Chetan, Saina in second round ''. The Hindu. 30 March 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Anup Sridhar advances ''. The Hindu. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Badminton Asia Championships 2008 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Happy Suwon Badminton Asia Championships 2009 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Badminton Asia Championships 2012 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina creates history, wins Philippines Open ''. The Hindu. 29 May 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Philippines Open 2007 : Draws : WS ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` India Satellite 2005 : Winners ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` INDIA SATELLITE 2006 : Winners ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 2 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` BWF World Rankings ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 31 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Saina NEHWAL : Head To Head ''. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 10 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Saina named ' The most promising player of the year ' ''. The Times of India. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saina wins Padma Shri ''. Times of India. 25 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Khel Ratna award for Saina Nehwal ''. The Hindu. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal awarded the Padma Bhushan ''. Hindustan Times ( 25 January 2016 ). Retrieved 25 January 2016. Jump up ^ PTI 4 Aug 2012, 07.56 PM IST ( 4 August 2012 ). `` Haryana govt announces Rs 1 crore for Saina Nehwal -- Times Of India ''. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 19 August 2012. Jump up ^ PTI 13 Aug 2012, 05.17 PM IST ( 13 August 2012 ). `` Rajasthan announces cash awards for Olympic winners Vijay Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and others -- Economic Times ''. Economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 19 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` AP govt announces Rs 50 lakh cash reward for Saina Nehwal ''. The Times Of India. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` BAI announces Rs 10 lakh award for Saina Nehwal ''. Indian Express. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012. Jump up ^ daily.bhaskar.com Jump up ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Saina-Nehwal-gets-honorary-doctorate-says-her-father-will-be-proud-of-her-as-he-wanted-her-to-be-a-doctor/articleshow/54882308.cms Jump up ^ BPCL Jump up ^ Olympic Gold Quest Official website Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal signed as brand ambassador by Sahara -- Badminton News ''. Sports.ndtv.com. 2012 - 12 - 18. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 12. Jump up ^ Herbalife Sponsorship List Jump up ^ About Top Ramen Jump up ^ `` Saina endorses Fortune ''. The Economic Times. 24 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal : Acing the brand endorsement scene ''. AFAQ. 31 August 2015. Jump up ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Saina-Nehwal-is-e-smartphone-Honors-brand-ambassador/articleshow/51618327.cms Jump up ^ `` Saina Nehwal signs Rs 40cr deal with sports management firm Rhiti Sports ''. CNN - IBN. 19 September 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Saina Nehwal severs ties with Rhiti sports ending Rs 40 crore deal ''. Sportskeeda. 19 December 2013. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saina Nehwal. Saina NEHWAL at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com Saina NEHWAL at BWFbadminton.com Saina Nehwal at BadmintonLink.com Saina Nehwal first badminton academy at Gaur City at Sportskeeda Saina Nehwal Profile and latest news at Sportskeeda Interview with Saina Nehwal -- `` Your Call with Saina Nehwal '' on NDTV Padma Bhushan award recipients ( 2010 -- 19 ) Satya Paul Agarwal Mohammad Amin Sailesh Kumar Bandopadhyay M.S. Banga Anil Bordia Bipan Chandra B.K. Chaturvedi Sant Singh Chatwal G.P. Chopra Tan Chung Madhusudan Dhaky P.R. 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Kashyap Gokulotsavji Maharaj Saichiro Misumi Ambrish Mithal Sudha Ragunathan Harish Salve Ashok Seth Rajat Sharma Satpal Singh Shivakumara Swami Khadg Singh Valdiya 2016 Ravindra Chandra Bhargava Robert Blackwill Hafeez Contractor Indu Jain Heisnam Kanhailal Anupam Kher Sania Mirza Pallonji Mistry Udit Narayan Saina Nehwal Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad Vinod Rai N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya A.V. Rama Rao D. Nageshwar Reddy Dayananda Saraswati Barjinder Singh Hamdard Ram V. Sutar Tejomayananda 2017 Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Deviprasad Dwivedi Ratnasundarsuri Niranjanananda Saraswati Cho Ramaswamy Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Tehemton Erach Udwadia # Posthumous conferral 1954 -- 1959 1960 -- 1969 1970 -- 1979 1980 -- 1989 1990 -- 1999 2000 -- 2009 2010 -- 2019 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees 1991 -- 2000 Viswanathan Anand ( 1991 -- 92 ) Geet Sethi ( 1992 -- 93 ) Homi Motivala and Pushpendra Kumar Garg ( 1993 -- 94 ) Karnam Malleswari ( 1994 -- 95 ) Kunjarani Devi ( 1995 -- 96 ) Leander Paes ( 1996 -- 97 ) Sachin Tendulkar ( 1997 -- 98 ) Jyotirmoyee Sikdar ( 1998 -- 99 ) Dhanraj Pillay ( 1999 -- 2000 ) Pullela Gopichand ( 2000 -- 01 ) 2001 -- 2010 Abhinav Bindra ( 2001 ) K.M. Beenamol and Anjali Bhagwat ( 2002 ) Anju Bobby George ( 2003 ) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore ( 2004 ) Pankaj Advani ( 2005 ) Manavjit Singh Sandhu ( 2006 ) MS Dhoni ( 2007 ) No award ( 2008 ) Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, and Sushil Kumar ( 2009 ) Saina Nehwal ( 2010 ) 2011 -- present Gagan Narang ( 2011 ) Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt ( 2012 ) Ronjan Sodhi ( 2013 ) No award ( 2014 ) Sania Mirza ( 2015 ) P.V. Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar, Jitu Rai, and Sakshi Malik ( 2016 ) Devendra Jhajharia and Sardara Singh ( 2017 ) World rankings : Top ten badminton players as of November 2, 2017 Men 's singles Women 's singles Men 's doubles Women 's doubles Mixed doubles Axelsen Kidambi 2 Son 1 Lin 1 Chen Chou 1 Shi 1 Lee Ng Wang Tai Sindhu Sung Yamaguchi 1 Marin 1 Inthanon Sun Okuhara 1 Chen 1 He 2 Gideon / Sukamuljo Boe / Mogensen Kamura / Sonoda Liu / Zhang 1 Li / Liu 1 Conrad / Kolding Lee / Lee 1 Chen / Wang 1 Pratama / Suwardi 2 Lu / Yang Chen / Jia Matsutomo / Takahashi Chang / Lee Juhl / Pedersen Fukushima / Hirota Tanaka / Yonemoto Jung / Shin 1 Huang / Li 1 Fukuman / Yonao Stoeva / Stoeva 2 Zheng / Chen Lu / Huang Ahmad / Natsir Jordan / Susanto Zhang / Li Adcock / Adcock Wang / Huang Puavaranukroh / Taerattanachai Tan / Lai 2 Tang / Tse Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saina_Nehwal&oldid=809364788 '' Categories : 1890 births Living people Indian national badminton champions Indian female badminton players World No. 1 badminton players Sportswomen from Hyderabad, India Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports Recipients of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan schools alumni Campus School, CCS HAU alumni Olympic badminton players of India Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for India Badminton players at the 2006 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India Asian Games medalists in badminton Asian Games bronze medalists for India Commonwealth Games competitors for India Badminton players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Badminton players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in badminton Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India Sportswomen from Haryana 21st - century Indian sportswomen 21st - century Indian sportspeople People from Hisar ( city ) Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Hidden categories : EngvarB from January 2014 Use dmy dates from January 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from August 2016 Interlanguage link template link number BWF template with ID same as Wikidata BWF2 template with ID same as Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia অসমীয়া বাংলা Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français ગુજરાતી हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Русский संस्कृतम् Simple English Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 November 2017, at 17 : 20. 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Question: who was the first indian to win junior world badminton
Answer: Saina Nehwal