Saina credits coach Vimal Kumar for her recent badminton achievements

Hyderabad: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has said that her decision to be coached by Vimal Kumar instead of Pullela Gopichand has helped her to believe that she can be a champion.

"It was a move from Hyderabad, but I did it, because I wanted to improve, and I think, it was a good decision. Vimal Sir's influence is the biggest change. I really want to thank him for spending so much time with me on court and making me believe everyday that I am a champion, I can be number one,"the World Championship silver medallist told media here.

The 25-year-old also said that it was under Vimal's influence that she started winning games like the Uber Cup and the Australian Open.

"Losing without a fight was not me. That was not the Saina I knew, and only because of that, I felt 'why push yourself like this'. That moment Vimal Sir joined the Uber Cup team after a long time. He worked on my game and I started winning games in Uber Cup, and then, I won the Australian Open," Nehwal said.

Saina suffered a 16-21, 19-21 defeat at the hands of defending champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the finals at Jakarta on Sunday. But, she became the first Indian player to bag a silver medal at the World Badminton Championship.