HYDERABAD: Has the world seen the last of shuttler Saina Nehwal in action? It appears so. “The knee is not very good. I have arthritis. My cartilage has gone to a bad state. It is very difficult to push for eight-nine hours,” Saina said on the ‘House of Glory’ podcast produced by former Olympian shooter Gagan Narang and hosted by Timesofindia.com on Monday.
Saina had first hinted at retirement on June 6, 2023 when she lost to Ratchanok Intanon in the first round of Singapore Open. It was a troublesome knee and she told TOI last year that it needed to heal completely for her to compete again. On Monday came another admission that arthritis has taken a toll on her body and her game. Incidentally, Saina and Gagan both won bronze medals at the London Olympics in 2012.
