Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has revealed that she has parted ways with fellow badminton player and husband Parupalli Kashyap.
The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist posted the news on Instagram on Sunday, citing the decision to have been taken after deep contemplation.
"Life moves us in opposite directions at times. After a great deal of consideration and reflection, Kashyap Parupalli and I have mutually decided to go our separate ways. We're opting for peace, growth, and healing — for ourselves and also for each other," Nehwal posted in her Instagram story. "I appreciate the memories and wish nothing but the best ahead. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy at this point."
The couple got married in 2018 after years of being each other's companion in personal and professional lives. They coached together at Hyderabad's world-renowned Pullela Gopichand Academy, which has given the country many of its finest badminton players.
While Saina became just the second Indian woman after weightlifter Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal, Parupalli became the first to win gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
In 2015, Nehwal achieved another milestone by becoming the first Indian female to become number one on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) women's singles rankings.
Parupalli Kashyap has not made a public remark about the break-up yet.
Saina, who has been mostly absent from the competitive scene in recent times, had frankly opened up earlier in 2024 regarding her continued health issues. On the House of Glory podcast hosted by Olympic shooter Gagan Narang — who was India's chef de mission at the Paris Olympics — she revealed that arthritis had immensely affected her training and competing.
The knee is not good. I have arthritis. My cartilage has reached a bad condition. It is quite hard to push for eight-nine hours," she narrated.
"How will you challenge the best players in the world in such a state? I think I will have to accept it somewhere. Because two hours of training is not good enough to play with the highest level of players and get the desired results."
Nehwal's announcement marks a personal transition as she also continues to assess her professional future in badminton.
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