India’s badminton star Saina Nehwal confirms retirement: 'I can’t push it anymore'

Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton, citing a chronic knee condition that made it impossible to meet the physical demands of elite sport, PTI reported on Monday.

The 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist has been out of action for two years, with her last competitive appearance at the 2023 Singapore Open. Despite this, Nehwal had not formally announced her retirement until now.

'No need for a formal announcement'

Explaining her approach on a podcast, Nehwal said, as quoted by PTI, “I had stopped playing two years back. I actually felt that I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it. If you are not capable of playing anymore, that’s it. It’s fine.”

She added, “Your cartilage has totally degenerated, you have arthritis. That’s what my parents needed to know, my coaches needed to know, and I just told them, ‘Now probably I can’t do it anymore, it is difficult.’”

Struggling with knee issues

Nehwal explained that her knee problems made it impossible to train at the intensity required for top-level competition.

“You train eight to nine hours to be the best in the world. Now my knee was giving up in one or two hours. It was swelling and became very tough to push after that. So I thought it’s enough. I can’t push it anymore,” she said.

Career affected by injuries

Her career suffered a major setback after a serious knee injury at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Though she returned to claim a World Championships bronze in 2017 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, ongoing knee problems repeatedly stalled her momentum.

In 2024, Nehwal revealed she had developed arthritis in both knees, with cartilage erosion making high-intensity training increasingly unmanageable.