Speaking to MAIL TODAY , Saina said that it was her inability to defend her two Super Series titles - the Singapore and Indonesia Open - that led to the drop. " This slump is due to the fact that I could not defend the Singapore and Indonesia Super Series titles," she said.
Saina said that there was no reason to panic. " Frankly, I do not see any reason why I should panic. The season is just half way through. Also the fact that I was battling injuries and now I am in good shape augurs well. I just have to pace myself well and avoid getting any major injuries," she said.
Saina also said that her target remains to win the World Championships.
The elite tournament which begins in London on August 8, has been on her radar. "My primary goal this year is to win the World Championships. I have made it to the quarterfinals of the last two editions and feel I have a very good chance to win it this year," she added.
Saina also said that she was going to work very hard to prepare for the worlds. "I am going Feels that the Chinese are no longer invincible to train very hard for the World Championships. I will not be playing any tournament till the worlds as I want to give my best for the World Championships," she said.
Saina also felt that the Chinese players can be beaten. "Let me tell you one thing. The aura of invincibility around them is a thing of the past. Myself, Tine (Baun), Porntip and Eriko (Hirose) have all beaten the leading Chinese players. So the fear of the Chinese players is not that much now," she said.
Saina also felt she was gradually peaking. "Even though I lost early in the Singapore Super Series, I played quite well in Indonesia. In fact, I scored my first win over two time All England champion Tine Baun and also beat giant killer Chiang. Those two wins have given me a lot of confidence," she said.
Even in the final against China's Wang Yihan, Saina felt she was playing very well. "I thought I was almost back to my best. In fact, in the second game I had a match point at 21- 20. But then unfortunately I played a loose shot which proved to be my undoing," said Saina.
About her heel injury, Saina said that it has not completely healed. "I still experience pain sometimes when I train. I cannot put too much pressure on it. There are times when I stretch for a shot and feel the discomfort. But then I am on a regular medication and the pain has reduced," she said.
Meanwhile, Periapalli Kashyap, the leading male shuttler is currently going through the paces at the Gopi Chand Academy in Hyderabad. The CWG bronze medal winner feels that though he has not performed to his expectations he will continue to work hard.
"I did not have a great year so far. But then such things happen. I just have to focus on working hard and hope for the best," he said.
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