"I Retire": Has PV Sindhu bid good-bye to professional sports at 25?

Badminton champion and Rio 2016 Olympics silver medalist PV Sindhu in her latest tweet announced that she is retiring. However, it turned out Sindhu wasn't talking about retiring from professional badminton but from "negativity, the constant fear and uncertainty. "The 25-year-old player who skipped the recently-concluded Denmark Open Super 750 tournament said that she may have given people a "mini-heart attack" but argued that "unprecedented times require unprecedented measures."In a message that opened with, "Denmark Open was the final straw. I RETIRE," in bold letters, Sindhu explained her struggle to deal with the "invisible virus" and opened up about how staying indoors for months had taken its toll.

Addressing that missing the Denmark Open was a setback, Sindhu claimed that it only inspired her to "come back twice as hard" in training for the Asia Open. "Denmark Open was the final straw. I RETIRE. I've 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 learnt about my point of view, and hopefully, will support it too.

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. Internalizing 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.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. We must not digress: we need to be better prepared. We must defeat this virus together.

 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: unprecedented times requires unprecedented measures. I guess I needed to get you guys to sit up and take notice. That being said, we must be hopeful about the light shining at the end of the tunnel. 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 up a solid fight. I refuse to give up without conquering this fear. And will carry on doing so till we have a safer world."

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