नवीनतम
Saina Nehwal confirms her retirement
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: India's star badminton player Saina Nehwal has officially confirmed her retirement from professional badminton. She stated that due to a chronic and severe knee injury, it is no longer possible for her to compete at the top level.
Had already quit the sport without a formal announcement
Saina last competed at the Singapore Open in 2023. However, at that time, she had not made any formal announcement of retirement.
In a podcast, Saina said, "I stopped playing two years ago. I started playing on my own terms and quit on my own terms, so I didn't feel an announcement was necessary."
According to Saina, the cartilage in her knees has completely worn out, and she has developed arthritis.
She said, "When you can't play, you should stop there. It had become very difficult for me to continue it now." Earlier, when she could train for 89 hours a week, her knee would swell up within 12 hours, making further practice impossible.
Saina's career was significantly affected by a severe knee injury sustained during the Rio Olympics 2016. Despite this, she made a spectacular comeback by winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2017 and a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
However, the knee problem recurred repeatedly. In 2024, Saina publicly revealed that she has arthritis in her knees and her cartilage is completely worn out, making it almost impossible to play at the top level.
