How much does PV Sindhu earn in a year?
23-year-old Pusarla Venkata Sindhu burst on to the sporting scene after she won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, marking India's first-ever silver at an Olympic event. Yet, while we all know about Sindhu and her sporting prowess, it's not common knowledge that she's one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. How much does she earn? Here, we decode.
The highest-paid female athletes are mostly tennis players
For context, it's best to familiarize yourself with the the general trend of female athletes' earnings before going into Sindhu's finances. According to Forbes' latest list of highest-paid female athletes, eight out of the top 10 are tennis stars, and Forbes notes that tennis remains the sport where female athletes earn the most.
Sindhu is the 7th highest-paid female athlete in the world
Badminton is neither a popular sport, nor a very high-paying one, yet, Sindhu features on Forbes' list of top 10 highest-paid female athletes, ranking 7th. Her 7th rank also makes her the highest-paid female athlete outside tennis, with higher earnings than 9th-placed retired professional racing driver Danica Patrick. She's also ahead of 8th-placed Simona Halep, the current world number one in women's tennis.
So, where does Sindhu make all that money from?
So, where does Sindhu make all that money from? Forbes estimates Sindhu's annual income for 2017-18 to be around $8.5mn, of which prize money accounted for just $500,000. The remaining $8mn came from endorsements. Indeed, Sindhu has an impressive list of sponsors, with Gatorade, Nokia, Panasonic, Bridgestone, and several others having her as a brand ambassador, or using her to promote their products.
Sindhu came into stardom only after the Olympics
It's important to note here that Sindhu went into the 2016 Rio Olympics with no sponsorship deals, and came into stardom only afterwards. Sportskeeda notes that in one year following her Olympic success, Sindhu's net worth and income soared a whopping 1,800%. According to Forbes, she was also among India's highest celebrity earners of 2017, ranking 13th among 100 celebrities.
Sindhu is second only to Kohli in terms of endorsements
Following her Olympic success, Sindhu bagged endorsement deals worth Rs. 50cr ($7.1mn) in 2016 itself. While the latest, detailed data on Sindhu's endorsement earnings is not available, a 2017 report claims that Sindhu earns, or used to earn, around Rs. 1.25cr a day for endorsement-related activities - that puts her second only to Virat Kohli in terms of endorsement earnings of sportspersons within India.
Sindhu succeeded despite all odds
To put things into perspective, Sindhu's massive financial success comes in a country that is obsessed with mostly one sport, and in a country where there exists a massive (and upsetting) gender wage gap of 25% across all sectors. Given this environment, a female badminton player outdoing all but one of her male peers in terms of endorsement earnings is a more-than-laudable feat.
Sindhu's financial success also reflects on India
Apart from being a beacon for aspiring Indian female sportspersons, Sindhu's financial success also has important bearings, if one looks at the larger picture. The badminton player's inclusion in the Forbes top 10 highest-paid female athletes list on the strength of endorsements is a testament to India's growing economic prowess and it's enormous, growing domestic sports audience.
