Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal:
Former Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal has made a significant revelation. The top badminton player, 34-year-old Saina, is battling arthritis. She must decide her future in the sport by the end of this year, as the illness has made regular practice difficult.
Former world number one player Saina Nehwal won a bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. Having competed in three Olympic Games, she became the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal. The Commonwealth Games 2010 and 2018 gold medalist has said she can no longer ignore the fact that her career is nearing its end.
In Gagan Narang’s ‘House of Glory’ podcast, the legendary shooter and leader of the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics, Nehwal said, ‘My knee condition is not good. I have arthritis. My cartilage is damaged. It is very difficult to stay connected to the sport for 8-9 hours.’ Arthritis is a disease that damages joints.
Source: aajtak
She added, ‘In such a situation, how do you challenge the best players in the world? At some point, I have to accept this because two hours of practice is not enough to achieve the expected results against top players.’
Last Appearance at Singapore Open
Nehwal stated that she is currently contemplating the impact of retirement on her but accepted that she will eventually have to make a decision. She is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Her last tournament was over a year ago at the Singapore Open, where she was eliminated in the early rounds.
She said, ‘I am thinking about retirement. It will be painful because it’s like a regular job for an ordinary person. Obviously, an athlete’s career is always short. I started at the age of 9. Next year I will be 35 years old.’
‘My career has been long and I am proud of it. I am happy with what I’ve achieved. I will assess how I feel by the end of this year,’ Nehwal concluded.
'Missing Two Olympics Participation is Sad'
The Padma Shri awardee said it was a childhood dream to play in the Olympics, and missing two consecutive Olympic Games is heartbreaking.
‘Playing in the Olympics is everyone’s childhood dream. You prepare for years to reach that level. So, many times when you realize that you won't achieve it, it's very saddening,’ Nehwal said.
‘I have worked very hard. I participated in three Olympics. I gave my 100% in all of them. I can be proud and happy about that,’ she added.
