Saina Nehwal reveals she is battling arthritis and might take a call on retirement soon
By Sreejith CR | First Published Sep 2, 2024, 5:23 PM ISTNehwal won India's first Olympic medal in badminton back in 2012 during the London games and went on to become the first female badminton player from the country to be ranked number one in the world when she achieved the feat in April 2015.
India's star badminton player Saina Nehwal has revealed that she is battling arthritis and might take call on retirement soon. The 34-year-old has admitted that her knee is not in a god condition and it would be difficult for her body to continue playing the sport at the highest level.
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"The knee is not very good. I have arthritis. My cartilage has gone to a bad state. It is very difficult to push for eight hours," Nehwal said while speaking on the 'House of Glory' podcast hosted by fellow Olympic medalist shooter Gagan Narang.
"How will you challenge the best players in the world in such a state? I think I will have to accept it somewhere. Because two hours of training is not good enough to play with the highest level of players and get the desired results," Nehwal added.
Nehwal, who won India's first Olympic medal in badminton back in 2012 in London, said she is still considering taking a call on her retirement soon. "I am also thinking about it (retirement). It will be sad because it is like a job that a normal person does. A sportsperson's career is always a short one. I started at the age of 9. I will be 35 next year," The Haryana-born shuttler said.
"I have also had a long career and I am very proud of that. I have broken my body to a great extent. I am happy with what I have done and given it all. (I) will assess how I feel by the end of this year," Nehwal added.
Nehwal became the first female badminton player from India to be ranked number one in the world when she achieved the feat in April 2015. However, for the last couple of years, she has been struggling with injuries and she last played in the Singapore Open in July 2023. Her last major triumph at the international stage came back in 2018 when she defeated compatriot PV Sindhu to win the gold medal at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
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