New Delhi: Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu on Friday paid a fitting tribute to Spanish Carolina Marin who retired from the sport on Thursday. Sindhu penned a heartfelt note to Marin, saying that the badminton ace was one of the rivals who became pat of her own journey despite the duo having an ugly on-court spat when they faced each other.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu described Marin as a ‘complete pain on court’ at times due to her trickery and constant shouting but also admitted that they shared a relationship of mutual respect. One of the great female players in badminton, Marin on March 26 brought down curtains on a glittering career that features an Olympic gold medal and three World Championship titles.
The Indian shuttler took to her social media handle X on Friday to honour one of the most exciting players of women’s badminton. She wrote:
Sindhu’s tribute to Marin
‘Some rivals become part of your journey forever. Carolina was one of them,’ Sindhu wrote on ‘X’.
‘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.’
Here’s Sindhu’s full post
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… pic.twitter.com/WVyMlRa2Cy
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 27, 2026
Both the players produced one of the most compelling rivalries of modern badminton as some memorable contests kept the fans glued to the screens in the last few years. Marin famously defeated Sindhu in the final of the Rio 2016 Olympics and again in the summit clash of the 2018 World Championships.
Marin was set to feature in next month’s European Championships in Spain, an event that would have marked her farewell on home soil.