Saina Nehwal, one of India's most iconic badminton players, has officially retired from the sport, marking the end of an era. After a career spanning nearly two decades, Nehwal announced her decision on January 20, 2026, citing a chronic knee condition that made it impossible to continue with the demands of elite-level competition. Her last competitive appearance was at the Singapore Open in 2023.
Born on March 17, 1990, in Haryana, Nehwal's journey to badminton stardom began at a young age. She started playing badminton at the age of 8 and trained under Pullela Gopichand.
Nehwal's career is filled with numerous milestones. In 2008, she won the junior world championship. In 2009, she became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series title at the Indonesia Open. In 2012, she won a bronze medal at the London Olympics, becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in badminton. In 2015, she became the first Indian woman to achieve the world number one ranking.
Beyond these historic achievements, Nehwal secured a silver medal at the BWF World Championships in 2015. She has a total of three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. Additionally, she won two bronze medals at the Asian Games in 2014 and 2018. Nehwal also contributed to India's Uber Cup bronze medals in 2014 and 2016. In total, Saina won 24 international titles, including ten Superseries titles.
However, Nehwal's career was not without its challenges. A major knee injury at the Rio 2016 Olympics threatened to derail her journey. Despite undergoing surgery and staying off the court for four months, she made a comeback, winning a World Championships bronze in 2017 and reclaiming Commonwealth Games gold in 2018. In 2024, she revealed that she has arthritis, which made it difficult to train at full intensity.
Nehwal has received the Arjuna Award, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan.
Saina Nehwal's retirement marks the end of an influential career that has inspired generations of badminton players in India.
