By Jagdish Yadav

New Delhi [India], March 14 (ANI): India's first Olympic medallist in badminton, Saina Nehwal, empathised with star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen after he narrowly missed out on the title at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 in Birmingham, falling short of becoming only the third Indian to win the prestigious tournament after Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001).

Speaking on the sidelines of the CXO Pickleball League in New Delhi, Nehwal recalled her own experience of finishing runner-up at the prestigious tournament in 2015.

'I also missed in 2015. I think it is a matter of luck. He tried his level best. He played well throughout the tournament. He defeated the world's number one in the first round. All the way till the finals, he played excellently. Sometimes, the players get tired. Obviously, the one playing in the finals is also strong. It was a tough match,' she told ANI.

Sen finished runner-up in the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 after losing the men's singles final to Taiwan's Lin Chun-Yi in Birmingham on Sunday. The tight title clash ended with scores of 15-21, 20-22, with the 24-year-old shuttler narrowly missing out on the prestigious title.

During the 2015 women's singles final at the All England Open Badminton Championships, Nehwal had also suffered defeat despite winning the first game. Spain's Carolina Marin eventually won the match with a scoreline of 21-16, 14-21, 7-21.

'I hope next time he will be ready and come in a better condition to win the championship. He is performing very well. I feel really sad. That shows that we have the capability to become the world's best. It's just that we need more hard work and dedication,' said Nehwal.

Badminton has been dropped from the roster of the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2026, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, later this year.

Reacting to the decision, Nehwal said, 'I feel bad because we have been doing well in badminton and have been winning. We are not going this time. But as a sportsperson, we just have to train and be ready. I can only tell the players to focus on the upcoming Asian Games, Olympics and other super series. I am sure if badminton comes again, it will be a good thing.'

'There are a lot of chances that badminton will win medals for India. It is sad as a player, but we have to overcome this sadness and train again to be ready for the next tournament,' she said.

She stressed that Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy are all playing well and will surely win medals in the upcoming events.

The 35-year-old Olympic medallist is the brand ambassador for India's first-ever CXO Pickleball League. The league blends business, fitness and networking for top corporate leaders and is expanding across cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Reacting to a question about the future of pickleball in India, the former World No. 1 badminton player said, 'I definitely see a very positive future. There are so many players who want to play pickleball. There are pickleball courts in every colony now. You can see that the craze is increasing. In the future, I think pickleball will be very popular.'

Nehwal announced her retirement from the sport in January 2026 after being inactive for nearly two years due to injuries.

Appealing to the youth of the nation, she urged them to eat healthy and stay fit, saying, 'Keep yourself physically fit, mentally fit and eat good food. Food gives you a lot of activeness. I am sure we are all smart and intelligent, but we get a little physically lazy. I would like us to stay fit and healthy and take care of our fitness as much as possible.' (ANI)