Nozomi Okuhara just finished her most intense training block yet. The former world champion is now pivoting to competition mode for the Singapore Open. This tournament marks a key milestone in her return from injury.

She has confirmed her participation in the Singapore Open, which is one of the biggest Super 750 events. Recently, she gave an update with a post on X talking about her preparation.

“I’ve finally started being able to follow a proper badminton player’s schedule, and I’ve gotten through the toughest part of my training! From here, I’ll spend the next two weeks fine-tuning and preparing for the tournament at the end of May,” she said.

The 2026 Singapore Open is set to take place in Singapore and features women’s singles, men's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories. The tournament is known for its strong competition, often including the top 10-ranked players, and is a part of the mid-season Asian tournaments.

Okuhara, currently ranked around World No.11, is a former world champion and is an Olympic bronze medalist. She has been focusing on rebuilding her form and her performance level after having an injury setback in the recent tournaments. Her training, too, is focused fully on recovery and building her endurance.

However, this comeback is after a journey of setbacks and patience.

Setbacks Okuhara Faced Because Of Her Injuries

Okuhara has faced multiple setbacks during different phases in her career, with injuries and inconsistencies. These setbacks have affected her career heavily in terms of her participation and her performance level.

One of the major setbacks took place in 2013, when she went through a serious knee injury during the Malaysia Open while playing against Saina Nehwal.

The injury occurred in a long three-game match, forcing her to withdraw from the circuit for almost a year, which disrupted her momentum at an active phase of her career.

After returning and reaching the ‘world-class’ form, including her wins in the 2017 World Championships, Okuhara went through physical issues again.

Towards the end of 2017, she experienced knee problems, which caused her discomfort between the matches. It even made her withdraw from several tournaments to avoid making the condition worse.

This continued until 2023, and she gradually returned to competition, but she still couldn't perform or play like before. Okuhara continues to work through her physical setbacks while maintaining consistency on the World Tour.

Read more at Ace Badminton Community!

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi