Badminton: Singapore top women's singles player Gu Juan resigns

Singapore's Gu Juan returns a shot against India's Saina Nehwal in the first round women's singles match of the Li-Ning Singapore Open 2013 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 19, 2013. Gu is leaving the national team, after tendering her resigna
Singapore's Gu Juan returns a shot against India's Saina Nehwal in the first round women's singles match of the Li-Ning Singapore Open 2013 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 19, 2013. Gu is leaving the national team, after tendering her resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association last week. -- ST FILE PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Singapore's top women's singles player Gu Juan is leaving the national team, after tendering her resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) last week.

The world No. 22 will play no part at the Uber Cup finals in New Delhi from May 18-25. Singapore are playing in the finals of the prestigious world team championships for women for just the second time in history.

In a statement released by the SBA on Sunday, the 2012 Olympian was left out of the team list and confirmed to be leaving the national team citing a "desire to look after her aging parents and nagging injuries" as reasons for her departure.

The young shuttler, still only 23, also expressed a reluctance to train under the new coaching set-up. The SBA had at the beginning of this year appointed Liu Qingdong as its new head coach, replacing former chief singles coach Luan Ching, at the helm.

The Straits Times reported soon after the appointment that Gu had written a letter to the SBA, expressing a desire to quit.

Singapore's Uber Cup team will be made up of Chen Jiayuan, Liang Xiaoyu, Vanessa Neo, Fu Mingtian, Yao Lei, Shinta Mulia Sari and Tan Wei Han.

The men's team, who are also competing in the Thomas Cup finals, will be made up of Derek Wong, Huang Chao, Terry Hee, Chayut Triyachart, Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Sean Lee.

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