Reigning Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marín will not defend her title at the Tokyo Games because of a knee injury.
Marín said Tuesday that medical tests confirmed she has damage to her meniscus and a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. The Spanish star is expected to undergo surgery this week.
India's badminton star PV Sindhu, who was Marin's opponent in the 2016 Olympics women's singles final, sent a moving message of support to her rival as she undergoes surgery.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your injury and hoping that you will recover soon and come back stronger. I remember the last Olympic games when we played in the finals," Sindhu said in a video posted by the official account of Olympics.
"It was really good competing against you, so I'm going to miss that again and I'll be missing you seeing you on court.
"I will miss you at the Olympic Games but hope we compete against each other soon, so come back fast and recover soon. Lots of love."
Marín, a three-time world champion and a five-time European champion, was injured during training last week. She had a similar injury in her right knee in 2019.
Marín was one of Spain's best hopes for a gold medal in Tokyo, having reached the final in all five tournaments she played this year, winning four of them.
