A fortnight after announcing she and Kashyap Parupalli had decided to part ways, Indian badminton superstar Saina Nehwal has said on Saturday that they are ‘trying again’ in an Instagram post. “Sometimes distance teaches you the value of presence. Here we are—trying again,” read Saina’s post on her social media account.
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Saina and Kashyap, who trained together in their early days at the Pullela Gopichand badminton academy, got married in December 2014. While she is officially yet to retire from the sport, 38-year-old Kashyap has transitioned into coaching at the academy where he works with the singles players along with the likes of Guru Sai Dutt. At the peak of his career, Kashyap had broken into the world top 10 and most memorably clinched the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold. Saina, of course, is one of India’s greatest athletes, having broken through on the international scene at a time when China was the dominant force. She became a global icon with her Olympic bronze and ascent to the world No. 1 in BWF rankings.
In an earlier statement, posted on July 14 as an Instagram story, Saina had written: “Life takes us in different directions sometimes. After much thought and consideration, Kashyap Parupalli and I have decided to part ways. We’re choosing peace, growth, and healing – for ourselves and each other,” Saina wrote in her statement. “I’m grateful for the memories and wish nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy during this time,” she had added.
Saina, who hasn’t played since her first-round exit at the Singapore Open in June 2023, has battled injuries in the latter part of her career. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, having finished with a bronze at London 2012, in a career of many firsts. She is also the first Indian to have reached the final of the badminton World Championships, and the first Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships.
In a social media post earlier this year, popular badminton commentator and former doubles player Gill Clark had described 35-year-old Saina’s legacy as remarkable, stating that she was the player who inspired a badminton revolution in India. “Like Billie Jean King, the former tennis player and winner of a staggering 39 Grand Slam titles, who probably did more to enhance and promote women’s sport globally than any other athlete in history, Saina made such an impact that she, along with a handful of other female athletes including Karnam Malleswari (weightlifting) and Mary Kom (boxing) helped change perceptions of women’s sport in India,” Clark had written.
“Saina not only created interest and inspired mass participation of badminton within her home country, her results made others also believe success was possible, and not just for female players. H S Prannoy credited her mindset for a change in all Indian players when facing tougher opponents.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
