Lucknow: Saina Nehwal has pulled out of the Syed Modi International Open that is set to start here on Tuesday. The development comes a day after she had announced her decision to pull out of the upcoming season of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) citing a need to take some time to recover from injuries she has collected over what has been a difficult year for her.

Saina has suffered six first round defeats this year as she battled illness and injuries. With the race for qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics reaching its home stretch next year, the former world No 1 will be looking to get back to full fitness.