As she posted a message on Twitter and Instagram that began with "I RETIRE" written in large and bold letters, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu sent social media into a frenzy on Monday. "The final straw was the Denmark Open. I RETIRE," read the first in her sequence of messages.
She goes on to talk about how she needs her emotions to come clean and assures fans that when reading the post, they will be confused but would "have learned about my point of view." She writes about the pandemic of the coronavirus and how it has affected her.The end of the message, however, provides the twist.
"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 learnt about my point of view, and hopefully, will support it too," she added.
"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," she added.