Saina Nehwal Announces Retirement From Competitive Badminton

January 20, 2026: Star Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton. The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist last played at the Singapore Open in 2023 but did not announce her retirement at that time.

Saina revealed that a long-term knee problem stopped her from continuing at the highest level. She has not played any official match since 2023 due to this condition.

“I stopped playing two years ago. I felt I entered the sport on my own terms and left the same way, so I did not feel the need to announce it,” Saina said on a podcast. “If you are no longer capable of playing, that’s it. It’s fine.”

She explained that her knee cartilage has completely worn out and she has developed arthritis. “My parents and coaches needed to know. I told them that I probably can’t do it anymore. It has become very difficult,” she said.

The former world No.1 added that she did not feel a formal announcement was necessary, as her absence from the court already spoke for itself.

‘I can’t push anymore’

“Slowly, people will realise that Saina is not playing,” she said.

The Olympic medallist explained that her knees can no longer handle even light training, making her decision final and unavoidable.

“I didn’t think announcing my retirement was a big deal. I just felt my time was up because I couldn’t push anymore. My knee is not the same as before,” she said.

She compared her current condition with her peak years. “To be the best in the world, you train for eight to nine hours. Now my knee gives up in one or two hours. It swells, and after that it becomes very difficult to continue. So I thought, enough is enough. I can’t push anymore,” she added.

Saina Nehwal has announced her retirement from professional badminton. A legend of Indian sport bows out.

She last played a competitive match in 2023 and had been battling persistent knee issues for a long time. Continuing at the highest level was no longer possible, but her… pic.twitter.com/0JoobHOO47

— Voice of Indian Sport (@vo_indiansport) January 20, 2026

Injury in 2016 changed everything

Saina’s career was badly affected by a knee injury she suffered at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Despite making a strong comeback by winning bronze at the 2017 World Championships and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, her knee problems never fully went away.

In 2024, she revealed that she had developed arthritis and severe cartilage damage in her knees, which made it impossible to train at the level required for elite badminton.