Saina Nehwal of India (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)

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 had left her unable to cope with the physical demands of elite sport. The 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist last appeared in competition at the Singapore Open in 2023, though she chose not to formally announce her decision at the time.

Explaining her approach, Saina said on a podcast, “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.” She added, “If you are not capable of playing anymore, that’s it. It’s fine.”The former world No. 1 said her decision was driven by severe knee degeneration that made sustained training impossible. Detailing the medical reality, she explained, “Your cartiledge has totally degenerated, you have arthritis, that’s what my parents needed to know that, my coaches needed to know that, and I just told them, ‘Now probably I can’t do it anymore, it is difficult’.”“Slowly people will also realise that Saina is not playing,” she added. “I didn’t think it was such a big matter to announce my retirement. I just felt my time was up because I couldn’t push much, that my knee is not able to push like before.”Highlighting the contrast with her peak years, Saina noted, “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 it became very tough to push after that. So I thought it’s enough. I can’t push it anymore.”Her career was significantly affected by a knee injury sustained at the Rio 2016 Olympics. While she mounted a strong comeback with a World Championships bronze in 2017 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, recurring issues persisted. In 2024, she revealed she has arthritis and worn cartilage in her knees.