World number one shuttler Lee Chong Wei's coach Rashid Sidek today heaped praise on Saina Nehwal, saying the Indian ace is "mentally" very strong and can become the undisputed queen of world badminton.
"Saina is now world number two (sic three). She is very good. She is improving every year. She is mentally very strong and can beat any Chinese player. She gets pumped up by the prospect of playing a Chinese player. So she has been able to win super series titles and can be a champion," said Sidek, who will be coaching the Delhi Smashers in the inaugural edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL).
The former world number one, who became the first Malaysian singles player to win a medal in the Olympics when he clinched the bronze at 1996 Atlanta Games, believes Indian shuttlers need to be more focused and put in that "extra" hard work which differentiates a player from a champion.
"They are many young players coming up like P Kashyap, Srikanth, Gurusaidutt, Sai Praneeth, H S Prannoy, P Sindhu. They have talent and skills, they have everything in them to win Super Series titles and dominate world badminton," the coach said during an interaction with reporters here.
"But they have to train harder, be more focussed and determined. We can get a champion everywhere but they have to do something extra because champion is one. It is important to have the same intensity during training. If you are training for two hours, you have to be focused on skills and consistency because you are playing at the highest level.
"One thing that they are missing is mental aspect. Sometimes just by looking at the draw, one gets mentally down. So they have to be mentally strong," added Sidek, who won the Malaysian Open thrice from 1990 to 1992.
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist said next month's World Championship would be the best chance for Lee Chong Wei to win the coveted title.
"It is a good chance for him to win the title. Lin Dan will be playing but he has not been playing for some time and won't be at his peak form. But then we are playing in China, so let's see," he said.
