NEW DELHI, Nov. 26 -- For about a decade, PV Sindhu was undeniably India's best bet going into any tournament on the BWF circuit. Consistency and an injury free-reign were the hallmarks of her long career that yielded two Olympic and five World Championships medals in addition to several other titles arguably making her the country's greatest female athlete. But the last couple of years haven't exactly turned out as she'd have liked. Consistency and being injury free - the two things that set the former world champion apart are exactly which have gone amiss resulting in the 30-year-old winning just one title - the 2024 Syed Modi International - in the last three years. "Sindhu is still there but after a certain point you start getting injured. After you play for so many years, the body obviously catches up, you know your knees and ankles, and it irritates. But she is trying to do her best," said Saina Nehwal, the original superstar of Indian badminton. "She started winning at the highest level at 17-18, beating players like Carolina (Marin) and Tai Tzu Ying. She is definitely a fighter on court who doesn't give up easily. But the body and injuries were not this bad earlier." Nobody can understand Sindhu's situation better than Saina with the former world No.1 having experienced a similar situation in the latter stages of her playing days. Sindhu remained injury free for almost a decade until in 2022 when she suffered a stress fracture during her gold medal winning campaign at the Commonwealth Games, taking her out of the circuit for half-a-year. She then suffered a knee injury in October 2023 which ended her season early. A hamstring strain forced her to pull out of the Asia Mixed Team Championships in February this year. In October, Sindhu pulled out of the rest of the season, citing a foot injury. "When you've played for so many years, injuries will take a toll. After some time, you cannot push as hard as you could when you were 21-23. Back then, you're not bothered about tomorrow or injuries. You only think of training well," added Saina, who won a silver and bronze at the World Championships. "After 27-28, the body catches up a little. It becomes tough for you to recover. And if you don't recover well, then injuries happen when you try to push extra hard. And then, if you're taking a break then it takes that much time to make a comeback. It takes a lot of time to catch up." The world No.13 has had a pretty average 2025 with a win-loss record of 11-15. While she showed flashes of her old brilliance - like the win over old rival Nozomi Okuhara (who has also struggled with injuries) of Japan at the Indonesia Open in June - she has failed to cross the quarter-final stage the entire season. But her performances at the World Championships and the China Masters have shown promise. At the Worlds, she completely outplayed world No.2 and two-time Asian champion Wang Zhi Yi of China while at the China Masters in September - her last competition - she easily overcame world No.6 Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in straight games. However, she exited both tournaments in the quarter-finals. In town for the Legends' Vision Legacy Tour India, Danish great and former All England champion Peter Gade also experienced a similar dip towards the twilight of his career. Having known Sindhu and followed her on the circuit for about a decade-and-a-half, the former world No.1 believes that motivation isn't an issue for the Indian great despite having achieved whatever there is to on the court. "I know her strong motivation for the game. She's a fighter. When she's on court, she wants to win. But when you go to the later stages of your career, you become a bit more vulnerable. You are dependent on the body and (hope) everything is at 100%. And you can't afford to go 80% or 90%. You will be punished in some way," said the 48-year-old, who won five medals at the World Championships. "That's what players in the later stages of their career experience. Most important for them is that they have the determination, will and energy to win when they step on court. And it feels like there's still something left for Sindhu to take on. She's an amazing player. She's got an amazing personality. And she's still an important part of women's singles. I hope she's got something left to fight with some of the current best women's singles. It would be nice to see."...