Beijing-bound Anup, Saina pull out of Tata Open

The Tata Open badminton championship received a setback after Beijing-bound shuttlers Anup Sridhar and Sania Nehwal deciding to skip the event to be held in Mumbai from Sunday.

The Tata Open badminton championship received a setback after Beijing-bound shuttlers Anup Sridhar and Sania Nehwal deciding to skip the event to be held in Mumbai from Sunday.

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With the Olympics just two weeks away, Anup, who strained his ankle last week during a practice session, opted out of the tournament as a precautionary measure before the Beijing Games.

"Anup did not want to risk himself before the Olympics, so he has decided to pull out of the Tata Open. But there is nothing to worry about as he is totally fit now," Anup's manager Nandan Kamat said on Friday.

He also informed that the 26-year-old shuttler is presently training in Bangalore and will leave for Beijing on August 4.

Anup's compatriot and female counterpart Saina also decided to give the tournament a miss to give herself more time to fine-tune her game before the quadrennial event.

"I want to train hard as there is hardly any time left for the Olympics. I am applying myself and giving myself more time to correct my shots," Saina told PTI.

"I would have surely played if the Olympics were not there," she added.