‘I can’t do it anymore’: Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal, 35, announces retirement after battle with knee injury | Badminton News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: India’s star badminton player Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton as she revealed on Monday that a chronic knee condition has left her unable to cope with the physical demands of elite sport. The 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist last competed at the Singapore Open in 2023, although she chose not to formally announce her decision at the time.

Saina explained her approach in a podcast: “I had stopped playing two years ago. I actually felt like I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it.” She added: “If you can’t play anymore, that’s it. It’s fine.”The former world number 1 said her decision was prompted by severe knee degeneration that made long-term training impossible. Explaining the medical reality, she explained: “Your cartilage has completely degenerated, you have arthritis, that’s what my parents needed to know, my coaches needed to know that, and I just told them, ‘Now I probably can’t do it anymore, it’s hard’.”“Slowly people will also realize that Saina is not playing,” she added. “I didn’t think it was a big deal to announce my retirement. I just felt that my time was up because I couldn’t push much, that my knee can’t push like it used to.”Highlighting the contrast with her peak years, Saina noted, “You train for eight to nine hours to be the best in the world, now my knee gave out within one or two hours. It swelled and after that it became very difficult to push. So I thought it was enough. I can’t push it anymore.”Her career was significantly affected by a knee injury sustained during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Although she made a strong comeback with bronze at the 2017 World Championships and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, recurring problems persisted. In 2024, she revealed that she has arthritis and worn cartilage in her knees.