P.V. Sindhu reflects on special friendship and rivalry with Carolina Marin in retirement tribute

Tributes have been pouring in from the sporting fraternity after three-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin announced her retirement at the age of 32 on Thursday.

The Spaniard won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics by beating PV Sindhu, and the Indian took to social media on Friday to pen a heartfelt tribute to her long-standing rival, with whom she crossed paths in multiple finals across tournaments.

“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 many battles,” Sindhu wrote in an emotional post on X (formerly Twitter).

Sindhu reflected on their on-court rivalry, while also highlighting the friendship and mutual respect they shared off it.

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“People see the big matches and even the ugly spat we had in that third set over picking the shuttle. I’ll admit I was completely infuriated that day.

“But few months later we sat across from each other over coffee in Madrid, talking and laughing, and in that moment there was nothing but respect,” Sindhu wrote.

“That’s the Carolina I’ll always remember.

“I’ll also always be grateful for the incredible camaraderie our generation built. Our batch of girls made women’s singles such a special place to compete in, and I honestly don’t know if badminton has seen something like it before or will again.

“Thank you for every battle, every lesson and most of all the friendship,” she wrote.

The two also faced off in the 2018 World Championships final, where Marin came out on top, while Sindhu beat the Spaniard in the 2017 India Open final.

Published on Mar 27, 2026