India’s first-ever badminton Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton on a podcast.
The 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist has been out of action for the last two years due to a knee injury. She played her last competitive match at the Singapore Open in 2023.
“I had stopped playing two years back. I actually felt that I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it,” Saina said on a podcast. “If you are not capable of playing anymore, that’s it. It’s fine.”
As a child prodigy, she won gold at the 2008 World Junior Championships.
Saina said that the decision was forced by the severe degeneration of her knee.
“My cartilage has totally degenerated, I have arthritis. I think that’s what my parents needed to know and my coaches needed to know and I just told them. Now probably I can’t do it anymore,” she said.
Saina reiterated that she did not see the need for a formal retirement announcement, believing her absence from competition would make the situation clear.
“Slowly people will also realise that Saina is not playing,” she said.
“I didn’t think it was such a big matter to announce my retirement. I just felt my time was up because I couldn’t push much, that my knee is not able to push like before,” she said.