Saina Nehwal to retire due to arthritis? Indian Olympic badminton legend says: ‘Cartilage is gone…’

India’s top shuttler and former Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has revealed that she is struggling with arthritis and will have to make a decision on her future in badminton by the end of this year as the condition has prevented her from training for the usual hours. The 34-year-old former world number one, who became the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal with her bronze at London 2012, competed in three editions of the Games before being hampered by injuries. The 2010 and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist said she can no longer ignore the fact that her career is in its final stages.

“My knee is not that good. I have arthritis. My cartilage is in bad shape. It is very difficult to push for eight to nine hours,” Nehwal said on the podcast ‘House of Glory’, hosted by the great shooter Gagan Narang, who was India’s chef-de-mission at the recent Paris Olympics.

“How are you going to challenge the best players in the world in such a state? I think I have to accept it somewhere. Because two hours of training is not good enough to play with the top level players and get the results you want,” she added.

Nehwal said she was still thinking about the impact her retirement would have on her, but admitted she would eventually have to make a decision. The groundbreaking star, who is now also a member of the BJP, was last seen in action more than a year ago at the Singapore Open, where she lost in the opening round.

“I’m also thinking about it (retirement). It will be sad because it’s a job that a normal person does. Of course, an athlete’s career is always short. I started at the age of 9. Next year I’ll be 35,” she said.

“I’ve also had a long career and I’m very proud of it. I’ve really broken my body. I’m happy with what I’ve done and I’ve given it my all. (I) will evaluate how I feel towards the end of this year,” she added.

The Padma Shri award winner said participating in the Olympics was her childhood dream and it was painful to miss the spectacle twice in a row.

“Participating in the Olympics is a childhood dream for everyone. You prepare for years to reach that level. That’s why it sometimes hurts a lot when you realize you’re not going to make it,” she said.

“Because it’s not that you don’t want to play, but your body tells you that things aren’t going well and that you have injuries.”

Nehwal, however, said she would look back on her participation in the Games with pride. “But I worked hard. I have participated in three Olympics. I have given my 100 percent in all the Games. I can be proud of that and happy about that,” she said.

Nehwal also spoke about the pressure of expectations and said that as an elite athlete, she not only has to deal with the pressure from spectators of the sport but also from her loved ones.

“When you become a big player, your friends, family, coaches, sponsors, everyone wants you to perform. There are a lot of stakeholders involved,” she said.

“With an already short career, athletes cannot afford to take a four-year break and continue to perform continuously. If you want to become an international champion, you have to be strong to make difficult decisions,” she added.