Indian badminton star P.V. Sindhu gave a "mini heart attack" to her fans on Monday as she shared a long note on social media which read, "Denmark Open was the final straw. I RETIRE".
Her fans were in for a shock initially, but after reading the whole note, it clarified that she isn’t retiring from the sport, but from the fear of COVID and the casual approach to beat the coronavirus.
She wrote on Instagram, “Today, I choose to retire from this current sense of unrest. I retire from this negativity, the constant fear, the uncertainty, I choose to retire from a complete lack of control over the known. 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".
Calling the pandemic an “eye-opener”, the 25-year-old said, "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”, she added.
Without reading the entire post to understand the actual message being conveyed, many of her fans went into a frenzy and bombarded social media with heartbroken messages.
I am heart broken to hear your retirement @Pvsindhu1 , as i expected not less than gold from you in the next Olympic. Emotions apart, it must be a well thought decision by you, and pray for more power to you. Wishing you all the best .
This is really a shocking news. But what you feel is same for everybody. That doesn't mean we will wind up. We would like to see you performing much better in coming days unless you have planned for something else. Thank You. All the best.
— Priyaranjan Behera (@priyaranjan03) November 2, 2020
Some fans also urged her to reconsider the decision, as she is at the peak of her career.
Indian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju wrote that she “gave a mini shock” with her post.