Indian professional badminton player and former world number one Saina Nehwal has slammed the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Twitter over regulations that it's put in place for tournaments in Thailand.
The BWF halted the season following the pandemic and the two competitions in Bangkok mark Nehwal's first appearance since March, when she played in the All England Championship.
In several tweets, she says players have not been allowed access to physios and trainers during the four-weeks of tournament, and argues that this can affect their performance and condition.
While complaining that there's no time for warmups and stretching, the Olympic bronze medalist says players have also not been able to spend enough time with their trainers in Thailand.
She tweeted, "Tried contacting @bwfmedia, but no reply, so had to do this."
Another Indian player, P.V. Sindhu, who rose to number two in the world is also participating in the tournament. She's set to open against Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt, while Nehwal, who has recently recovered from COVID, will face world number three – Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara – in the first round.
The Yonex Thailand Open is from 12-17 January and the Toyota Thailand Open from 19-24 January.