NEW DELHI: Injured badminton star
Saina Nehwal has put a Twitter troll claiming to be her "fan" in his place and then got an apology from the individual, in what is one of the most polite and dignified reactions from an Indian celebrity on the social media platform.
Against the backdrop of her shock league exit during the badminton single's event at the 2016
Rio Olympics, and
PV Sindhu's semi-final win on Thursday to become the first Indian badminton player at an Olympic final, Saina had received a tweet critical of her.
Here's the sequence of events that unfolded on Twitter yesterday:
Saina, a former world No 1, had been beaten by 61st ranked
Maria Ulitina
of Ukraine 21-18, 21-19 in her second match to exit the Rio Games. Fifty-six places separated Saina and Ulitina, and this was a result that few could have seen coming, despite the fitness concerns over India's 2012 London Games bronze medalist.
A disconsolate Saina wept at her post-match interaction with the media at the Riocentro, where she cited an inflammation in her right knee, which hampered her on-court movement, as the reason for her upset defeat. On her return to India, she was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad to undergo treatment for her knee injury.
Despite the setbacks, it appears she has managed to maintain her cool and dignity. What a champion.