Injuries not only change the course of a match but, many a time, end careers as well. A player still tries to hit every shuttle that comes their way, but when the body refuses to cooperate, even the strongest of the wills can only go so far. Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi had to face an unfortunate event at the recently concluded Swiss Open.

The Indonesian shuttler had shown promise throughout the week. However, she was forced to retire against XU Wen Jing in the semifinal match.

According to assistant coach Nunung Subandoro, however, Dhinda was actually facing the issue from the quarterfinal match.

She first had the pain going up against the Taiwanese shuttler Tung Ciou-Tong while trying to retrieve a shuttle near the net. She continued and won that match by 21-10, 22-20.

“She had already been dealing with back pain since the quarterfinal,” Nunung explained.

The dark hour arrived in the semifinal against China's Xu Wen Jing. As the opening game played on, Dhinda's discomfort was visible. When they reached mid-game, i.e., at 11 points, her movement around the court had become quite restricted.

“Dhinda actually wanted to continue competing because her fighting spirit is very strong,” Nunung said. “But in situations like this, the athlete’s health must remain the priority.”

After a brief discussion between the player and the coaching team, they decided to present Xu Wen Jing with a walkover in order to lessen the gravity of the injury.

The Medical Team of Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi begin an immediate recovery plan

Following the withdrawal, the focus quickly shifted from the competition to recovery and rehabilitation.

The coaching staff informed that the Indonesian Badminton Association will conduct a full medical check-up on Dhinda to assess her condition and the gravity of the injury.

While the withdrawal cut short the young and promising shuttler's journey in the Swiss Open, it was probably done to ensure that her career is not compromised for just one Super 300 tournament.

The Indonesian camp remains hopeful about her rehabilitation.

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Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi