PV Sindhu penned an emotional note on social media as her long-time rival and the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin announced retirement from badminton on Thursday.
“Some rivals become part of your journey forever. Carolina was one of them,” wrote Sindhu.
“We first played each other when we were 15 or 16 year old girls in the Maldives, and from then on we went on to share so many battles,” she added.
Sindhu and Marin faced off 18 times on the BWF World Tour Circuit, with the Indian winning only six matches.
It was against the aggressive Spaniard that Sindhu had lost the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal match and the 2018 BWF World Championships Final.
“To be honest, you were also a complete pain on court,” wrote Sindhu. “The constant shouting, the intensity, the little tricks, they would get to anyone. But your skill, speed and fighting spirit were second to none.
“People remember the big matches and even the ugly spat we had in that third set over picking the shuttle. I’ll admit I was completely infuriated that day.
“But a few months later we sat across from each other over coffee in Madrid, talking and laughing, and in that moment there was nothing but respect,” she added.
Sindhu and Marin last faced off at the 2024 Singapore Open, where the Indian went down 21-13, 11-21, 20-22 in a hard fought battle.
“I’ll also always be grateful for the incredible camaraderie our generation built. Our batch of girls made women’s singles such a special place to compete in, and I honestly don’t know if badminton has seen something like it before or will again,” wrote Sindhu.
Thank you for every battle, every lesson and most of all the friendship. I wish you the happiest retirement, Carolina. Badminton will miss you. And so will I,” she further added.
Marin was last seen in action at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a brilliant return to court following injury struggles in the years prior. She unfortunately picked up an injury in the semi-final against He Bing Jiao of China while leading 21-14, 10-8 and had to retire midway from the match.
The Chinese shuttler eventually took home the silver medal but stood on the Olympic podium with a Spanish flag pin on her hands as a mark of respect for Marin.
