New Delhi,mar 27
India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu penned an emotional tribute to Carolina Marin following the Spaniard’s retirement from professional badminton, saying the sport “will miss” one of its fiercest competitors. Taking to Instagram, Sindhu reflected on her long-standing rivalry and friendship with the Rio Olympics gold medallist, recalling their journey from teenage competitors to seasoned rivals on the global stage.”Some rivals become part of your journey forever. Carolina was one of them. We first played each other when we were 15 or 16 year old girls in the Maldives, and from then on we went on to share so many battles. To be honest, you were also a complete pain on court. The constant shouting, the intensity, the little tricks, they would get to anyone. But your skill, speed and fighting spirit were second to none,” Sindhu wrote.The Indian shuttler also revisited a tense on-court moment between the two, while highlighting the mutual respect that defined their relationship off the court.”People remember the big matches and even the ugly spat we had in that third set over picking the shuttle. I’ll admit I was completely infuriated that day. But a few months later we sat across from each other over coffee in Madrid, talking and laughing, and in that moment there was nothing but respect. That’s the Carolina I’ll always remember,” she added. Sindhu credited their generation for elevating women’s singles badminton and expressed gratitude for the camaraderie they shared.”I’ll also always be grateful for the incredible camaraderie our generation built. Our batch of girls made women’s singles such a special place to compete in, and I honestly don’t know if badminton has seen something like it before or will again. Thank you for every battle, every lesson and most of all the friendship. I wish you the happiest retirement, Carolina. Badminton will miss you. And so will I,” she concluded.Marin responded warmly to Sindhu’s message, commenting, “Thanks my friend for your sweet words and message.
