Saina Nehwal Announces Retirement from Badminton

Saina Nehwal has announced her retirement from badminton. She stated that due to a chronic knee problem, she is unable to meet the physical demands of elite sport.

Star Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton. Nehwal, a bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, last played at the Singapore Open in 2023 but did not formally announce her retirement at the time. She stated that a chronic knee problem prevented her from meeting the physical demands of elite sport.

I stopped playing two years ago

Speaking about her decision on a podcast, Nehwal said, "I actually stopped playing two years ago. I genuinely felt that I entered the sport on my terms and left it on my terms. So there was no need to announce it. She added, "If you are not able to play anymore, that's it. It's fine." The former World No. 1 said her decision was due to a severe knee issue, which made consistent training impossible.

'I probably can't do this anymore'

Elaborating on her medical condition, she explained, "Your cartilage is completely gone, you have arthritis. My parents needed to know, my coach needed to know, and I just told them, 'I probably can't do this anymore, it's difficult'."

'I can't push anymore'

She further stated, "Slowly people will also get to know that Saina is not playing. I didn't think announcing my retirement was such a big deal. I just felt my time was up because I wasn't able to push hard enough, my knee wasn't able to push like before."

Comparing her prime years, Nehwal said, "You train for eight to nine hours to be the best in the world, now my knee gives up in just one or two hours. It swells up, and after that, it becomes very difficult to push. So I thought, enough is enough. I can't push anymore."

Injury in 2016

Her career was significantly impacted by a knee injury sustained at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Although she made a strong comeback, winning bronze at the World Championships in 2017 and gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, recurring issues persisted. In 2024, she had revealed that she had arthritis and worn-out cartilage in her knees.