India’s star badminton player Saina Nehwal has announced her retirement from professional badminton. She stated in a podcast that knee pain has made it impossible for her to continue playing. Saina last played at the Singapore Open in June 2023. The 35-year-old said in a podcast, “I stopped playing two years ago. I started playing on my own terms and left on my own terms. So, I didn’t feel the announcement was necessary.” India’s first badminton player to win an Olympic medal
Former world number one Saina won a bronze medal for India at the 2012 London Olympics. She is the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal. She represented India in three Olympic Games. She has also won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
Saina first made headlines by winning the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships in 2008. In 2009, she became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series event. She then won gold medals at the 2010 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. Arthritis and knee problems led to her retirement.
According to Saina, the cartilage in her knees has completely worn out, leading to arthritis. She said, “When you can’t play, you should stop. I used to train 8-9 hours a day, but now my knees give out within 1-2 hours. After that, they swell. So I thought enough is enough. I can’t continue my career any longer.” Injury during the 2016 Olympics
Saina’s career was significantly affected by a knee injury she suffered during the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, despite this, she made a remarkable comeback by winning bronze at the World Championships in 2017 and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Admitted in 2024 – Playing at the top level has become impossible
Saina’s knee problem has repeatedly resurfaced. She first revealed in 2024 that she was suffering from arthritis. Her cartilage had completely worn away, making it nearly impossible to play at the highest level. Received the Arjuna Award and Khel Ratna Award
Saina was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2009 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2010. She also topped the world badminton rankings in 2015, becoming the first Indian female player to achieve this feat. ————————- Also read this sports news… MI vs DC in WPL today: Mumbai lost both their previous matches, Delhi has only won one so far. This will be the second time the two teams have faced each other this season. In the previous match, MI defeated DC by 50 runs. Mumbai has won two out of five matches so far and lost three. The team is second in the points table with four points. Meanwhile, Delhi has won only one out of four matches, placing them fifth, or last. Full news
