Named in rich list, Sindhu to bid for gold

ENDORSEMENT QUEEN Forbes ranks Indian badminton ace seventh among world’s highest paid female athletes SINDHU IS THE ONLY BADMINTON PLAYER TO FEATURE IN THE TOP 10, WITH TENNIS ACE SERENA WILLIAMS

TOPPING THE LIST

A day before kicking off her Asian Games singles campaign, PV Sindhu’s brand value got a leg up when Forbes named the badminton ace on their list of highest paid female athletes. From a country where cricket still rules the roost, Sindhu ranks seventh in a list dominated by tennis players with Serena Williams being the highest-paid for the third consecutive year.

Sindhu is the only badminton player to feature in the top 10, with ‘most successful race car driver’ Danica Patrick at the ninth spot with earnings of $7.5 million. The 23-year-old Sindhu, silver medallist at the Rio Olympics and the World Championships in 2017 as well as 2018, earned $8.5 million — combining a prize money of $500,000 and $8 million in endorsements — according to a Forbes release.

“The Indian badminton player burst on the scene with a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She was the first Indian female athlete to win silver. The 23-year-old has a robust sponsor roster with Bridgestone, Gatorade, Nokia, Panasonic, Reckitt Benckiser and a halfdozen other brands,” Forbes said in its report.

India crashed out of the Asian Games teams’ challenge at the quarter-finals stage despite Sindhu’s gritty 21-18, 21-19 win against World No 2 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi. India can still hope for a badminton medal as Sindhu is due to start her singles campaign against Vietnam’s Vu Thi Trang in a round-of-32 match on Thursday.

She will be eager to win a medal here after she went down tamely to Carolina Marin in the World Championships’ women’s

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final earlier this month. She lost 19-21, 10-21 to an opponent who had beaten her in the Rio Olympics final as well.

Sindhu, currently ranked World No 3, saw her brand value rising sharply after she became only the second Indian after Saina Nehwal to win an Olympic medal in badminton.

At one point in 2017, Sindhu inked endorsement deals with heavyweights such as Gatorade and Panasonic batteries. As per various media analysis, ‘brand Sindhu’ works for the market irrespective of customers’ age, gender or geography.

Meanwhile, Serena, 36, returned to the tennis court after the birth of her first child and continues to rule the roost as far as earnings among female athletes are concerned.

With earnings of $18 million, Serena is followed by other female tennis players such as Caroline Wozniacki ($13 million), Sloane Stephens ($11.2 million), Garbine Muguruza ($11 million) and Maria Sharapova ($10.5 million). Serena Williams (Tennis)

Caroline Wozniacki (Tennis)

Sloane Stephens (Tennis)

Garbine Muguruza (Tennis)

Maria Sharapova (Tennis)

Venus Williams (Tennis)

P. V. Sindhu (Badminton)

Simona Halep (Tennis)

Danica Patrick (Motorsport)

Angelique Kerber (Tennis)