Saina Nehwal confirms retirement from competitive badminton due to chronic knee injury

Indian star shuttler Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton, citing a prolonged battle with a chronic knee condition that has kept her away from the sport for the past two years.

The 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist said her body could no longer cope with the physical demands of elite-level competition. Her last professional appearance was at the Singapore Open in 2023, though she did not formally announce her retirement at the time.

“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,” Saina reportedly said on a podcast. “If you are not capable of playing anymore, that’s it. It’s fine.”

The former world No. 1 said she decided to speak publicly after being diagnosed with severe degeneration of knee cartilage, which made sustained high-intensity training impossible.

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

Saina’s career had earlier been hindered by a knee injury during the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, the 35-year-old staged a strong comeback, winning a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. However, persistent knee problems continued to hamper her progress in subsequent years.

In 2024, she disclosed that she had arthritis and significant cartilage wear, making elite-level training extremely challenging.

Saina said she never felt the need for a formal retirement announcement, adding that her absence from competition was explanation enough.

“Slowly people will also realise that Saina is not playing,” she said. “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, my knee is not able to push like before.”