New Delhi: Badminton fans around the world almost fell off their chair when India’s reigning women’s singles World Champion PV Sindhu posted message below on her Twitter on Monday.
“Denmark Open was the final straw, I RETIRE”.
While a lot of her followers quickly replied to her message feeling sad and wished her good luck in her retirement, if they could scroll through all Sindhu’s tweets, they would notice there’s a bigger message from Sindhu Twitter post.
“I have been thinking about coming clean with my feelings for a while now. I admit I have been struggling to deal with it. It just feels so wrong, you know. That’s why I’m writing today to tell you that I’m done. It’s understandable if you’re shocked or confused but by the time you finish reading this you would have learned about my point of view, and hopefully, will support it too,” she said.
“This pandemic has been an eye-opener for me. I could train hard to fight the toughest of opponents, tooth, and nail, right till the final shot of the game. I have done it before, I can do it again. But how do I defeat this invisible virus that has the entire world in a fix? It has been months at home and we still question ourselves every time we step out. Internalising all this and reading about so many heart-breaking stories online has got me to question a lot about myself and this world we live in. Not being able to represent India in the Denmark Open was the last straw,” added Sindhu.
“Today, I choose to retire from this current sense of unrest. I retire from this negativity, the constant fear, uncertainty. I choose to retire from a complete lack of control over the unknown. Most importantly, I choose to retire from substandard hygiene standards and our lackadaisical attitude towards the virus,” continued Sindhu.
“The choices we make today will define our future and the future of the next generation. We cannot afford to let them down.”
“I may have given you guys a mini-heart attack; the unfrequented times require unprecedented measures. I guess I need to get you guys to sit and take notice. That being said, we must be hopeful about the light shining at the end of the tunnel,” the 25-year-old said.
“Yes, Denmark Open didn’t happen but that won’t stop me from training. When life comes at you, one must come back twice as hard. So will I for the Asia Open. I refuse to give up without putting a solid fight. I refuse to give up without conquering this fear. And will carry on doing so till we have a safer world.”
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) November 2, 2020
In short, this was not a retirement announcement from Sindhu, on the contrary, she was encouraging everyone to conquer the fear of uncertainty and being more diligent in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
