PV Sindhu's "I Retire" post on social media leaves her fans shocked and confused

PV Sindhu retires: The former World No. 2 badminton player PV Sindhu gave a "mini-heart attack" on Monday when she wrote on social media that she has retired.

The Rio Olympics silver medallist stunned her fans on Twitter when she wrote "Denmark Open was the final straw and I retire" in a lengthy post. On reaching the end of the write up, one would discover the twist in the tweet.

"Denmark Open was the final straw. I Retire," she posted.

"I have 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', 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," Sindhu wrote in the lengthy post.

"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," Sindhu wrote.

In the same post, Sindhu in the end acknowledged that she may have shocked her fans, but she is not retiring from badminton but wants to draw everyone's attention towards the fact that at present it is more important than ever to fight against substandard hygiene amid coronavirus pandemic.

"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," Sindhu further wrote, hinting she was not retiring from the game but rather wanted people to focus on following the guidelines to tackle the coronavirus. 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 clarified.

I may have given you guys a mini-heart attack; unprecedented times require unprecedented measures. I guess I needed to get you guys 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," the Olympic medallist concluded.