How has your maiden Olympic experience been—-becoming the first Indian to reach the Olympics quarterfinals and then the defeat?
It was my first Olympics and I was very excited. I had always dreamed of making it to this biggest sporting event. Despite my determination to give my 100 per cent, I had never expected to reach the quarterfinals. I was just taking one match at a time. But when I did reach the quarterfinals, I started thinking of a medal—gold, silver or bronze—and at one point in the quarter-final match, I thought I would actually win. That, I think, did me in, making me put up a really disappointing performance in the last set when I was down to 11-3. I have learnt not to be complacent. But I guess losing is a part of every game and I have no regrets.

How was Beijing? Did you interact off-court with the other players?
I couldn’t speak much to them but it was thrilling to see players from all over the world. I was thrilled to have seen the match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Seeing them live was amazing. The way the two played, their fitness—I was just awed. I also liked the food they ate. In fact, I saw Nadal eating really good food—lot of cheese, pasta, rice and chicken curry—in the dining hall. I wanted to go and speak to him but I was too shy and he was too busy chatting with his friends.

Did you meet members of the Indian contingent?
I saw everyone, including Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza, but I couldn’t meet everybody as I had to practise and play my matches. I met the boxers though and they treated me like a sister. Akhil Kumar, specially, was very supportive. Once I was receiving treatment from a doctor in my room, Akhil came in and said that I play well and that I was the hope of the country. He was very nice. All the boxers made me feel like a hero.

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