Hyderabad: World Champion PV Sindhu on Monday took social media by storm after she posted 'I RETIRE' on her Twitter handle. The post went viral on social media as the Hyderabadi trailblazer is one of India's hopefuls at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, when contacted by ETV Bharat, her father PV Ramana denied such rumours and advised everyone to read the full tweet.
Her post was referring to the "negativity, fear, and uncertainty" due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Olympic silver-medallist is currently in London to work on her nutrition and recovery needs at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
The lengthy post further clarified that she will continue her training and make a comeback at the Asia Open.
"I've been thinking about coming clean with my feelings for a while now. I admit I have been struggling to deal with it. It just feels so wrong, you know. That's why I'm, writing today to tell you that I'm done. It's understandable if you're shocked or confused but by the time you finish reading this you would have learnt about my point of view, and hopefully, will support it too," she wrote.
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"This pandemic has been an eye-opener for me. 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.
"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," she said.
"Most importantly, 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," Sindhu further clarified.
"I may have given you guys a mini-heart attack; unprecedented times requires unprecedented measures. I guess I needed to get you guys to sit up and take notice. That being said, we must be hopeful about the light shining at the end of the tunnel. Yes, Denmark Open didn't happen but that won't stop me from training. When life comes at you, one must come back twice as hard. So will I for the Asia Open. I refuse to give up without putting up a solid fight. I refuse to give up without conquering this fear. And will carry on doing so till we have a safer world," she said.
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--By Ayushmaan Pandey
