"Looking back, I feel it is tough to be a champion. It gets lonely at the top," Saina said.
The hectic daily routine, however, doesn't allow her to feel the loneliness, according to the world number 3 Indian shuttler.
"But then again, you don't have the time to think about the loneliness. You just have time to train, eat, sleep and get up again, so there is no time left to feel bad," Saina told 'BIG CBS PRIME'.
"You have your parents who will support you, you have your friends who will be there for you, you have your coach who will guide you. Whatever sacrifices I've made have made me who I am today."
It's well-chronicled that Saina indulges in eating ice creams and aloo paranthas made by her mother and asked how does the 22-year-old Hyderabadi celebrate her victories, she said, "I sleep till late on Sundays".
"I am reserved and I don't like partying but I like going for movies, shopping for gadgets, jackets and shoes and watching tennis. But you don't know how time flies on Sundays," added the shuttler who is now in Shenzhen, China for the Super Series Finals.