Saina targets All England to get back into groove after injury

Mumbai, Feb 6 (PTI) Saina Nehwal has targeted the weeksleading up to next month''s Yonex All England BadmintonChampionships in Birmingham to get back to her prime form forthe 2011 season after an ankle injury reduced hereffectiveness on the court.

"I am targeting the weeks before the All EnglandChampionships to become fully fit. My ankle is still strappedand I''m not fully fit now though I feel much better thanbefore," said the ace shuttler here last evening after beingfelicitated at a function on the Bombay Gymkhana lawns.

The All England Championships are to be held from March8-13 and the world No 5 will be up against the cream of womenshuttlers from around the globe, including top Chinese rivals,to prove her mettle.

Saina''s progress late last year, after she won threesuccessive Super Series titles and the gold medal in the DelhiCommonwealth Games, got stymied when she suffered an injuryafter the Guangzhou Asian Games and it showed when she playedin the Korean Open.

"I was not fully fit in the Korean Open. I missed fiveweeks of training and had just one week to practice. My ankleis still strapped and it will take me some more time to becomefully fit," she said.

The Hisar-born, Hyderabad-based Saina, who has slid downfrom No 2 in December to her current ranking, lost to Japan''sSayaka Sato in three games in the Korean Open in the last weekof January. (More) PTI SSR RSY SHN