Badminton icon Saina Nehwal has hinted at retirement after opening up about her arthritis battle, raising concerns about the Olympian's health.
"The knee is not very good. I have arthritis. My cartilage has gone to a bad state," Nehwal said during a podcast. She added that she finds it tough to continuously train for eight to nine hours.
Nehwal said she is thinking about retiring and feels sad as she considers it like a job that a normal person does. Admitting that an athlete's career is shortlived, she said a sportsperson cannot take long breaks and must continuously perform.
In the podcast interview, she said she is glad that she had done and given it all. "I have broken my body to a great extent," said the 34-year-old.
Talking about the pressure as an athlete, she said everyone would expect a big player to perform whether it is family, friends, coaches or sponsors.
This is not the first time the Olympic bronze medallist revealed her intention to retire. After losing to Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon in the first round of Singapore Open in June 2023, she gave a similar hint.
She is first Indian shuttler to clinch an Olympics medal with her bronze win in women's singles at the London Games in 2012. In 2015 she become the world no. 1 in ranking. She was awarded the Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Padma Bhushan.
Nehwal failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
