PV Sindhu only Indian on Forbes list of world’s highest-paid female athletes
Badminton pro PV Sindhu stands at number 13 on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, and is the only Indian on the list. US tennis star Serena Williams takes the lead among the fifteen women.
PV Sindhu is the only Indian on Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid female athletes
So far, 2019 has been a great year for women in sports, with athletes like Dutee Chand and Hima Das winning multiple international gold medals, the Indian women’s rugby team registering its first international victory, and the women’s football team of the United States whose victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup sparked the ‘equal pay’ slogan.
On August 6, Forbes Magazine released a list of the fifteen highest-paid female athletes across the globe, representing 11 countries including the US, India, Spain, Ukraine and Thailand. The earnings tally considers prize money, salaries, bonuses, endorsements, and appearance fees between June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019. The list includes ten tennis players, and five across badminton, golf, and soccer.
Indian badminton pro PV Sindhu took the 13th spot with her total earnings amounting to $5.5 million, in a tie with US tennis player Madison Keys. US tennis superstar Serena Williams took the lead with her total earnings at a whopping $29.8 million.
PV Sindhu made her debut in badminton at the 5th Servo All India ranking championship in the under-10 category, and went on to participate and win at various other championships throughout her teenage years.
Sindhu made her international debut in 2009, at the Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships in Colombo. She won her first Grand Prix in 2013, when she clinched the Malaysian Open title. In 2014, she became the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championships for two consecutive years.
One of Sindhu's biggest sports achievements came in 2016, when she became the first female athlete from India to win a silver medal at the Olympics in Rio. Later that year, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her achievements.
In 2017, Sindhu won the Indian Open Super Series, and later that year, the silver medal at The Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships. She also reached the finals of the same event in 2018.
The 24-year-old is currently ranked fifth in the women's singles category by BWF.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
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