Asian Games
Asian Games: Shuttler MR Arjun 'got injured again', makes disappointing exit
On Monday, Arjun, after missing the men's team final, went up in their first-round men's doubles match but pulled out after trailing 3-13 against Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
FILE PHOTO: MR Arjun played just one match and lost it at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Young shuttler M.R. Arjun injured his ankle again as he made a disappointing exit from the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
"It saddens me to share this, but I got injured AGAIN during the team event matches here at the Asian games," Arjun wrote on X, formerly Twitter, just after losing his match on Monday.
The men's doubles specialist played only one match in the Indian men's team semifinal and lost to South Korea's Kim Wonho and Na Sungseung 16-21, 11-21 in 45 minutes.
In the final, when India needed him the most, Arjun failed to turn up in the crucial fourth match of the tie, with India just a win away from victory. As a result, his partner Dhruv Kapila has had to form a scratch pairing with Sai Pratheek. They lost in straight games, letting China make it 2-2 coming back from a 0-2 deficit.
On Monday, Arjun and Dhruv went up in their first-round men's doubles fixture but pulled out after trailing 3-13 against Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.
"The scans taken yesterday unfortunately show that the injury is worse than we thought. So we had no option but to concede our match today in the individual event," Arjun added.
Arjun has been suffering a chronic ankle injury since October last. At the French Open in 2022, he sustained a ligament tear. Since then he has been on and off the court. He missed the season-opening Malaysian Open Super 1000 in January due to a rehabilitation session.
He aggravated his ankle again at the Japan Open in July. Arjun would make a comeback at the China Open early this month but made a first-round exit before the Asian Games. Now in a span of less than a month, he picked up another injury.
"Sometimes, life throws challenges our way that are difficult to put into words. Today, I find myself in the lowest; mentally and physically , and it’s definitely not easy as I have been having back to back injuries this season," an upset Arjun wrote further.
"Playing the sport I love, injury free is all I have been praying for this year, but I guess god has other plans," he added.
"But amidst the storm, I’m learning resilience and patience.Trying to go one day at a time with a positive mind. I hope I can be back on court in my best shape soon," wrote the 26-year-old
