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Saina Nehwal posing for photographers after her win in the Junior Girls singles badminton in this July 5, 2003 picture. Photo: K. Gajendran

Saina Nehwal with her trophies after winning the under-16 national sub-junior badminton championship. File photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Saina Nehwal's with U-16 and U-19 trophies at the All-Junior Ranking Badminton tournament in Bangalore in this July 23, 2005 picture. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Saina Nehwal receives the cheque after winning the Asian Satellite Badminton Championship in this October 23, 2005 picture. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu felicitates Saina Nehwal at his residence in Hyderabad. File photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Saina Nehwal in action against Jang Soo Young of South Korea in the Indian International Badminton Championship in this November 17, 2006 picture. Photo: Vivek Bendre

Saina Nehwal is elated after defeating Aditi Mutatkar in the final of the women's singles in the 71st senior National Badminton Championship in this January 28, 2007 picture. Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

Runner-up Saina Nehwal poses with the champion K Yonekura of Japan (right) at the India International Challenge Badminton Championship in Guwahati in this December 5, 2007 picture. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Saina Nehwal poses with the World Junior Badminton Championship trophy at the Shiv Chattrapati Sports Complex in this November 2, 2008 picture. Photo: Vivek Bendre

Saina Nehwal in action against Russia's Anastasia Prokopenko at the World Badminton Championship in Hyderabad in this August 12, 2009 picture. Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

President Pratibha Patil confers Padma Shri award on Saina Nehwal in New Delhi on March 31, 2010. Saina was also honoured with the Arjuna award in 2009. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Saina Nehwal brushed aside Malaysia's Julia Pei Xian Wong in straight games in the Badminton Asia Championships in New Delhi in this April 15, 2010 picture. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Saina Nehwal at the "Run for Population Stabilisation" on the World Population Day in New Delhi, on July 11, 2010. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Saina Nehwal with her Singapore Open trophy 2010 and medals during a press conference in Hyderabad on June 29, 2010. Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Saina Nehwal exults after winning the women's singles game at the Commonwealth Games 2010. File photo: R. Ragu

Saina Nehwal is the best medal prospect for the forthcoming Olympics. Here Saina Nehwal during a break during a practice session at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad in this file photo. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

Saina Nehwal shows her Chinese Taipei gold medal to her coach Pullela Gopi Chand in Hyderabad. File photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Indonesia Open champion Saina Nehwal is all smiles after being felicitated by the Andhra Pradesh Olympic Association in Hyderabad on July 1, 2009. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

V.K. Verma (right), president, Badminton Association of India with Suresh Kumar (centre), Chairman, Premier Brands presenting a silver badminton racket to Saina Nehwal, for being conferred Padma Shri at a function in New Delhi on February 19, 2010. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Former Sports Minister M.S. Gill presents the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award to Saina Nehwal in New Delhi on November 8, 2010. Photo: R.V. Moorthy