India's top-ranked shuttler and the former world No 1 ended her year-long title drought in June, winning the Australian Open Super Series and raising hopes about her medal prospects at the Rio Olympics a few months later. But a knee injury that she picked up during training a week before the Games led to the shock exit of the London Olympics bronze medallist from the group stage. She returned to the international circuit a surgery and three months later, with the China Open in November, and has been limping back to her winning ways.
Fast Fact: As a child, Nehwal was trained in karate, but it came to a stop when the instructor prepared to run a bike over the hands of the students.