Virat Kohli congratulates Saina Nehwal on her retirement: Indian cricket star Virat Kohli shared a warm and emotional message for badminton legend Saina Nehwal after she officially announced her retirement from professional badminton.
Saina Nehwal is one of India’s biggest sports icons. She decided to retire because of ongoing physical problems, especially with her knees, which made it very hard for her to continue playing at the highest level.
Why did Saina Nehwal retire from badminton?
Saina Nehwal, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and also became World No.1, explained that her body could no longer handle the pressure of competitive badminton.
For the last two years, she had been dealing with a serious knee injury. Because of this, she stayed away from most tournaments.
Although her last competitive match was at the Singapore Open in 2023, she did not announce her retirement at that time. She quietly stopped playing. Later, during a podcast, she confirmed that she would not return to the sport as her condition had become worse.
Virat Kohli’s heartfelt tribute to Saina Nehwal
After Saina’s retirement news became public, Virat Kohli posted a special message on social media. He praised her for taking Indian badminton to the world stage and thanked her for making the country proud.
He wrote:
“Congratulations @NSaina on a legendary career that put Indian badminton on the world stage. Wishing you a happy, fulfilling and well-deserved retirement. India is proud.” 🇮🇳🏸
Sachin Tendulkar also praises Saina Nehwal
Virat Kohli was not the only one who celebrated Saina’s journey. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also shared a beautiful message.
He said that Saina’s career showed how greatness is built slowly with patience, courage, and consistency. He added that she changed Indian badminton forever by believing in herself and preparing hard every day.
Highlights of Saina Nehwal’s badminton career
Despite many injuries, Saina Nehwal showed strong determination and made several comebacks. Some of her biggest achievements are listed below:
| Year | Tournament / Event | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | London Olympics | Bronze Medal |
| 2016 | Rio Olympics | Knee injury setback |
| 2017 | World Championships | Bronze Medal |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Medal |
| 2023 | Singapore Open | Last competitive match |
After the Rio Olympics in 2016, Saina suffered a major knee injury. Still, she returned strongly and won medals in big tournaments. Unfortunately, her knee problems kept coming back.
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In 2024, she revealed that she had arthritis and cartilage damage in her knees. This made intense training almost impossible and finally forced her to accept retirement.
Saina also said that she did not feel the need for a formal retirement announcement because her long break from tournaments already showed that she was no longer playing.
