Saina Nehwal: This generation is a lot smarter than we were, but at the same time, I feel they are a lot softer than we were - Sportstar
Former world No. 1 and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal recently opened up about why she never made a formal retirement announcement — even though she last played competitively in 2023. She revealed that chronic knee problems and arthritis made high-level training unsustainable, forcing her to step away from active competition. While she remains passionate about badminton, she’s now channeling her energy into mentoring, promoting the sport among youngsters, and supporting initiatives like donating old rackets to underprivileged children. Reflecting on the present crop of Indian players, she says the country shows potential but still needs time and robust support systems before it can truly rival the traditional global badminton powers.
The Key points
- Saina never formally said “retired” — her body, not a big announcement, ended her playing career.
- Persistent knee arthritis and cartilage damage made rigorous training and competition impossible.
- Since 2023, she has not returned to competitive play.
- She sees badminton as her lifelong love, even as she explores new roles off-court.
- Nehwal is now focusing on inspiring young athletes, through mentorship and grassroots initiatives.
- She believes mental conditioning, physio, discipline are vital to produce world-class players — areas she lacked when she started.
- According to her, India needs time to build a robust badminton ecosystem comparable to global powerhouses.
- Current young Indian players — men and women — show promise, but need consistency and deeper support.
- She remains optimistic about India’s sporting future, hoping for broad growth across multiple disciplines by 2036.
- For now, she prefers staying away from competitive stress — focusing instead on wellbeing, promotion of sport, and maybe coaching later.
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