Revealed: Why Saina Nehwal left Vimal Kumar to reunite with Pullela Gopichand

Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal recently announced on Twitter that she will once again be training under the tutelage of renowned badminton coach Pullela Gopichand at his famed academy in Hyderabad. The announcement was made in a series of tweets on Saina's Twitter account where she also thanked Vimal Kumar, who had been her coach for the last three years.

Nehwal had previously trained under Gopichand before terminating their partnership three years ago and since then, she had been mentored by Kumar. The former World No. 1 had recently won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Glasgow, losing out to eventual winner Nozomi Okuhara in a hard-fought semifinal.

She stated had been thinking about going back to Hyderabad and had discussed the situation with Gopichand. She was also thankful for Vimal Kumar's aid in helping her achieve the World Number 1 ranking.

Under Kumar, she won two World Championships medals and topped the women's rankings. She also won a silver medal at the 2015 Worlds as well as her bronze in the Glasgow Championships and along with that, she even reached the final of the All England Championships apart from multiple Super Series crowns.

Vimal Kumar's take on Saina's decision

Vimal Kumar and Saina Nehwal have obviously parted on good terms and he understands and respects her decision to team up with Gopichand. Saina will also have the young prodigy PV Sindhu as a sparring partner and the two of them can hone their skills to reap more rewards in the future.

Saina will also be training intensely at Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad. She will also be training under SAI appointed Malaysian coach Mr. Mulyo Handoyo as well, who has played a huge role in the recent surge in Indian badminton since his arrival.

Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal are two of the most well-known names in the badminton circuit in India. Despite their history, the two have reconciled with each other. Now that these two big names are reuniting once again, one can expect Nehwal's game to drastically improve and her experience to rub off on Gopichand's other proteges. So in other words, it's a win-win situation.