Italian Rosario Maddaloni retires from international badminton.

The Italian men’s singles player, Rosario Maddaloni, calls it a day and retires from international badminton.

- Actually, I am very sad, but it is the right time to stop. At the age of 31 it is a good time, and this was my tournament number 200, so it is a good time to stop, Maddaloni said after losing the first round at the World Championships.

- It was a hard decision, but I have been thinking about it for six months. The results were not very good and I have a few problems with my body, so it is time to stop.

Happy with the last match
Maddaloni lost in straight games, 21-6 21-16, In the first round at the World Championships against Wang Tzu Wei from Chinese Taipei.

- It was a very good match. He is very strong, and I was a little upset being down 11-1, but I found the rhythm and in the second game it was good, Maddaloni said.

Wei will play either Kenta Nishimoto from Japan or Finnish Kalle Koljonen in the second round.

Junior coach?
The Italian will not take part in competitions moving forward, but he hopes to stay in badminton.

- If my federation wants my help, I would very much like to help with the juniors, Maddaloni said.

Notable international results for Rosario Maddaloni:
Ethiopia International 2016 - Winner
Carebaco International 2013 – Winner
Fiji International 2010 - Winner