India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal (35) has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton, bringing an end to a career that has inspired a generation of Indian athletes. Her last professional appearance was at the 2023 Singapore Open, although she did not make a formal announcement of her retirement at that time. Saina Nehwal confirms retirement from competitive badmintonSpeaking on a podcast, Saina explained, "I had stopped playing two years back. I just felt my time was up because I couldn't push much, my knee is not able to push like before." Saina Nehwal's careerSaina's career has been marked by her ability to overcome adversity, including a knee injury that threatened her participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Source: dna January 20, 2026 02:06 UTC