Indian Shuttler B Sai Praneeth Retires From International Badminton

Advertisement

World Championships bronze medallist B Sai Praneeth on Monday announced his retirement from international badminton, bringing down curtains on a successful career during which he won the Singapore Open and also represented India at the Tokyo Olympics.

"I will be joining April mid. I will be the head coach of the club, so I will be overseeing all the players there. Ofcourse, once I am there, we will discuss elaborately about the role," he told PTI.

In over a two-decade long international career, Praneeth had some fine moments but the 2017 Singapore Open Super Series win and the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships in Basel, Switzerland were his crowning moment.

Praneeth reached a career-best ranking of world number 10 and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but couldn't make a mark, losing all the matches to make a shock exit at the group stage.

"To my family - my grandparents, parents, and my loving wife Swetha - your endless encouragement has been the bedrock of my success. Without your unwavering support, none of this would have been possible," said the 2010 world junior bronze medallist.

"A heartfelt thank you to Pullela Gopichand anna, the Gopichand Academy, and the entire coaching and support staff. I also thank my coaches from childhood Arif sir, and Govardhan sir.

"I extend my gratitude to the Badminton Association of India, Sports Authority of India, TOPS, Sports Authority of Telangana State, Yonex, ONGC, GoSports, OGQ, APACS, WhatsInTheGame, PBL. Your belief in my dreams and your contributions to the sport have been instrumental in my journey."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)