Late Nandu Natekar's 'highly developed badminton brain' hailed by Uday Pawar

Nandu Natekar. Pic Courtesy/ Natekar family collection

Badminton legend Nandu Natekar, 88, who breathed his last on Wednesday morning in Pune, was one of the best strokeplayers and the best backhand player in the world, reckoned former India player and badminton coach Uday Pawar.

"Unfortunately, I could not see him playing at his best. But he was known as a fine best backhand player in the world. Tactically, he was one of the shrewdest players. He had a highly-developed, badminton brain," Pawar, 62, told mid-day.com on Wednesday.

Though Pawar never saw Natekar at his best, he was inspired by stories about Natekar which he heard from his father Prabhakar, a big fan of Natekar.

"My father saw him beat some of the best players in the world, like five-time All England champion Erland Kops at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. I got to know him well because of my father.

Nandu was a big inspiration for me," remarked Pawar, who won the bronze medal at the 1982 New Delhi and 1986 Seoul Asian Games.

In fact, Natekar was present with his family for Pawar's naming ceremony at Lonavla in 1959.

Uday Pawar

"There was no sportsman from Lonavla so they attributed my badminton skills to Nandu's presence at my naming ceremony," Pawar recalled.

"He [Natekar] played at a time when they used wooden racquets, so the game was played differently. It was more of skill, grace and accuracy. In that generation he was known as one of the most graceful stroke players and most accurate. He was equally good in singles, doubles and mixed doubles and also played tennis well," said Pawar, mourning the loss of "the best badminton player Maharashtra ever produced."

"There was no sportsman from Lonavla so they attributed my badminton skills to Nandu's presence at my naming ceremony," Pawar recalled.

"He [Natekar] played at a time when they used wooden racquets, so the game was played differently. It was more of skill, grace and accuracy. In that generation he was known as one of the most graceful stroke players and most accurate. He was equally good in singles, doubles and mixed doubles and also played tennis well," said Pawar, mourning the loss of "the best badminton player Maharashtra ever produced."

Also Read: Indian badminton great Nandu Natekar passes away at age 88