Queen of Badminton in India: Looking at the Era of Saina Nehwal
The ace shuttler confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton, saying her body could no longer cope with the physical demands of elite sport
Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, who has been out of action for the last two years due to a chronic knee condition, has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton, saying her body could no longer cope with the physical demands of elite sport.
The former World No.1 last played a competitive match at the Singapore Open in 2023 but 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 said on a podcast.
Nehwal has achieved several milestones in badminton for India. Born in Haryana to parents Harvir Singh Nehwal and Usha Rani Nehwal, Saina moved to Hyderabad following her father’s transfer. She finished 12th grade from the St. Ann's College for Women, Hyderabad.
Known as the queen of badminton in India, Nehwal made her irrefutable mark in Indian sports when she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In 2015, she became the first Indian woman to be ranked world No. 1.
Her list of accolades go long, including the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, Philippines Open title, as well as her triumphs at Chinese Taipei Open, Hong Kong Super Series, Singapore Open and Indonesia Open (which made her the first Indian to earn a Badminton World Federation (BWF) series title) and much more.
The Government of India presented her with the Arjuna Award in 2009 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2010. She was also honored with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, that same year.
Saina's career was significantly impacted by a career-threatening knee injury sustained at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Although she made a strong comeback to win a World Championships bronze in 2017 and the Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, recurring knee issues continued to disrupt her progress.
In 2024, she revealed that she has arthritis in her knees and that her cartilage has worn away, making it extremely difficult to train at the intensity required for top-level competition.