Indian batting icon Virat Kohli paid a glowing tribute to badminton legend Saina Nehwal after she officially announced her retirement from professional badminton, congratulating her for a career that elevated Indian badminton to global prominence. Taking to X, Kohli 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.”
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.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 23, 2026
Retirement After a Battle With Injuries
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Saina Nehwal confirmed on Tuesday that she had drawn the curtains on her illustrious career, which spanned more than a decade at the elite level. Knee injuries had kept her away from competitive action for nearly two years, with her last appearance coming at the Singapore Open in 2023. “I had stopped playing two years back. I felt I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it,” Nehwal said on a podcast, as quoted by Olympics.com.
The former World No. 1 revealed that severe cartilage degeneration and arthritis in her knees made sustained high-intensity training impossible. “You train eight to nine hours to be the best in the world. My knee was giving up in one or two hours. It kept swelling, and it became very tough to push after that,” she explained, adding that her body could no longer cope with the demands of top-tier badminton.
A Career That Changed Indian Badminton
Saina’s journey is among the most influential in Indian sport. She became junior world champion in 2008 and soon made history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics. In 2009, she became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series title with her triumph at the Indonesia Open, followed by Commonwealth Games gold in 2010.
Her defining moment arrived at the London 2012 Olympics, where she clinched bronze in women’s singles to become India’s first-ever Olympic medallist in badminton. Nehwal went on to scale new heights in 2015, becoming World No. 1 in singles, only the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to achieve the feat, and winning silver at the BWF World Championships.
Despite frequent injury setbacks, including a tough Rio 2016 campaign, Nehwal showcased her resilience with a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Beyond her medal haul, Nehwal’s impact has been recognised with prestigious honours such as the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award. As tributes continue to pour in, Kohli’s words sum up a collective sentiment: Saina Nehwal didn’t just win titles, she inspired a generation and transformed Indian badminton forever.
