Badminton: Olympics Favourite Carolina Marin Opts Out Due To Injury, Chance For PV Sindhu?

"After the examinations during the weekend and the medical consultation, I confirm that I have torn the ACL and both meniscus on my left knee. I will undergo surgery this week and start my recovery," Marin said in a social media post.

Spain: The three-time World Champion and reigning Olympics gold medalist, Carolina Marin of Spain has opted out of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. She picked up a knee injury on Tuesday. After her walkout from the tournament, the chances of India's PV Sindhu have gone up as Sindhu faced difficulty in facing the Spaniard.

"After the examinations during the weekend and the medical consultation, I confirm that I have torn the ACL and both meniscus on my left knee. I will undergo surgery this week and start my recovery," Marin said in a social media post.

"I want to thank everyone for your support and messages during these days. This is another blow that I have to deal with, but I will certainly be back.

"The preparation during the last two months had become very difficult for reasons beyond the team's control, but we were excited and knew that I would be in the best shape for the Olympics. It won't be possible. I know that I am in safe hands and I have a lot of people by my side," she added.

Recently, India's Saina Nehwal didn't qualify for the Olympics. "The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm no further tournaments will be played inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying window," the apex body said in a statement last Friday.

A player needs to be in the top 16 rankings by 15 June 2021 for him/her to qualify for the Olympics, as announced by the BWF in a statement ad Saina is ranked 22 currently. The statement read, "As such, while the qualification period officially closes 15 June 2021 as per the Revised Tokyo 2020 Qualification System, the current Race To Tokyo rankings list will not change."