Badminton star Saina Nehwal announces retirement, last played at the Singapore Open in 2023

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Olympic medalist and Indian badminton icon Saina Nehwal has officially announced her retirement from competitive badminton. She said her body is no longer able to meet the demands of elite-level sport, which led her to take this decision.

The bronze medalist from the London Olympics 2012 last played a competitive match at the Singapore Open in 2023. For nearly two and a half to three years, she had stayed away from professional badminton due to serious knee problems and was unable to make a comeback.

Although the 35-year-old had not made a formal retirement announcement earlier, she recently spoke about her decision during a podcast. Saina said she had stopped playing around two years ago and believed in starting and ending her career on her own terms, so she did not feel the need for a separate announcement. She added that when a player is no longer physically capable of competing, it should be accepted honestly.

Explaining her condition, Saina said doctors informed her that the cartilage in her knee was completely damaged and she was suffering from arthritis. She shared that high-intensity training had become impossible, as her knee could not handle more than one or two hours of practice, while world-class performance requires eight to nine hours of daily training.

Saina Nehwal is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton. She also achieved the world number one ranking in 2015. Her career highlights include winning the BWF World Junior Championship in 2008, the Indonesia Open Super Series in 2009, and gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2018. She is also the first Indian badminton player to win two singles gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

For her exceptional contribution to Indian sports, she has been honored with the Arjuna Award (2009), Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2010), Padma Shri (2010), and Padma Bhushan (2016).