Former World No. 1 in women’s singles, Saina Nehwal has been out of action for the longest time — she last played in the Singapore Open in 2023 — and there are no immediate signs of her return to the court. In all this time, there is a lack of clarity to her fans, if the champion shuttler has called it quits, or is injured, or has taken a break.
Saina Nehwal to Consider Retirement
Now, finally Saina Nehwal has revealed that she is battling arthritis, and will decide on her future in badminton, by the end of 2024. She also went on to say that her condition has made it difficult for her to train long hours, a pre-requisite to perform at the top level.
“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-nine hours,” Nehwal said on the ‘House of Glory’ podcast hosted by 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,” she went on to add.
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“I am also thinking about it (retirement). It will be sad because it is like a job that a normal person does. Obviously, a sportsperson’s career is always a short one. I started at the age of 9. I will be 35 next year. 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,” she added.
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