New Delhi, Jan 20 (NationPress) Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh extended his heartfelt congratulations to Saina Nehwal, an Olympic medalist and one of India's premier badminton athletes, who has declared her retirement from competitive play following nearly two years of battling a chronic knee condition.

The bronze medalist from the 2012 London Olympics last participated in a competitive match at the 2023 Singapore Open and had not formally announced her retirement until Monday. In a podcast, the celebrated shuttler shared that she left the court on her own terms, stating, “There was no need to announce it.”

“Well played, Saina! Congratulations on an incredible career. You pushed Indian badminton forward and inspired a generation. Wishing you the very best for what's next,” Yuvraj expressed on X, honoring the remarkable journey of the badminton star.

Saina disclosed that the degradation of cartilage in her knees compelled her to make this challenging decision after conferring with her family and coaches. She mentioned, “Your cartilage has totally degenerated; you have arthritis… I just told them, ‘Now probably I can’t do it anymore, it is difficult.’”

She further explained that her body could no longer endure the demands of elite badminton. “You train eight to nine hours to be the best in the world. Now, my knees would give out in one or two hours. It was swelling, and it became very tough to push after that. So I thought it was enough. I can’t push it anymore,” she stated.

The player from Hisar gained global acclaim in 2008 by winning the junior world championship, making history as the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

In 2009, she made history as the first Indian to clinch a BWF Super Series tournament, winning the Indonesia Open. A year later, she became a Commonwealth Games champion.

During the London 2012 Olympics, Nehwal achieved a historic milestone, becoming India’s first Olympic badminton medallist by securing a bronze in women’s singles after her semi-final.

In 2015, she reached another historic milestone by becoming the world No. 1 in singles badminton rankings, being the first Indian woman to achieve this feat and only the second Indian shuttler, following Prakash Padukone, to reach the top. That year, she also made it to the final of the BWF World Championships, making her the first from India to do so, but ultimately took home silver after losing to Carolina Marin.