"Facing you changed me as an athlete": Sindhu's emotional tribute to long-term rival after retirement

New Delhi [India], November 8 : Two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian shuttler PV Sindhu penned an emotional message to her long-time rival and friend Tai Tzu-ying following her retirement.

Tai, the Chinese Taipei shuttler, announced her retirement from the sport on Friday, saying, "A beautiful chapter has come to an end. Thank you, badminton, for everything you have given me. Eventually, my injuries forced me to leave the court. I could not end my career the way I had hoped, and it took me a while to come to terms with that."

"I have not decided what I'll do next, but for now, I am going to enjoy a life without alarm clocks," she added.

Tai finished her career with an Olympic silver medal at Tokyo and a total of 17 titles on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour circuit, with her last win coming in 2024 at the India Open. She is also a two-time World Championship medalist and three-time Asian champion.

Sindhu paid a tribute to her rival, who was her opponent during the round of 16 at the 2016 Rio Olympics, on the route to her silver medal. However, Sindhu had to settle for a bronze, losing to her in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

She played Tai 24 times, winning just five matches and losing 19.

"For over 15 years, you were the opponent who pushed me to my limits every single time," PV Sindhu said as quoted by Olympics.com on Instagram. "Two of the most important medals of my life - the Rio 2016 Olympic silver and the 2019 World Championship gold - came after playing you in those marathon, heart-stopping matches."

"I won't hide it: I hated playing you. Your wristwork, your deception, your calm brilliance made me dig deeper than I ever imagined I could. Facing you changed me as an athlete," Sindhu added.

Tai also defeated Sindhu to capture the 2018 Asian Games gold and in their last meeting at 2023 Indonesia Open, Tai came out on top with straight games win.

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