Dubai: P.V. Sindhu, star Indian shuttler, scored off the court last year when she became the first Indian sportswoman to figure among the top 10 earners among sportswomen in the Forbes magazine list. In the list published in August 2018, the Olympic silver medallist was in the seventh position with former world No. 1 tennis player Serena Williams at the top of the heap.
According to Forbes, Sindhu earned $8.5 million (Dh31.26 million) between June 2017 and June 2018, including $8 million from sponsorships and $500,000 in prize money. Serena, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, topped Forbes’ list with $18.1 million Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams were the other tennis players listed higher than Sindhu.
“Well it feels good and nice and happy about it. When I saw the news then it was like, OK, I am one of them,” Sindhu told the media during the last Asian Games.
“The money always goes to the bank so not much account on that, but I think just to be in that list with some top names is reason enough to smile,” she said.
The floodgate of endorsements, from sports drinks to mobile phones to car tyres and even banks, started soon after her silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Samsung International, Bridgestone, Panasonic and Gatorade are among her international brands while Bank of Baroda, Central Reserve Police Force and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited are some of the government agencies who has taken her on board.
Interestingly, tennis’s current world No. 1 Simona Halep and Nascar driver Danica Patrick are below her on Forbes list.
