Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995)
is an Indian
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and on the
BWF circuit, including a gold at the
2019 World Championships. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. She rose to a career-high world ranking of no. 2 in April 2017.
Sindhu broke into the top 20 of the
BWF World Rankings in September 2012, at the age of 17.
She has won a total of five medals at the
BWF World Championships and is just the second woman after China's
Zhang Ning ever to win five or more singles medals in the competition. She represented India at the
2016 Summer Olympics (Rio), where she became the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final. She won the silver medal after losing out to Spain's
Carolina Marín. She made her second consecutive
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
appearance at the
2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo) and won a bronze medal, becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.
Sindhu won her first
superseries title at the
2016 China Open and followed it up with four more finals in 2017, winning the titles in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. In addition to that, she is the reigning
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
champion and has won three consecutive singles medals at the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
, a silver medal at the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, and two bronze medals at the
Uber Cup.
With earnings of US$8.5 million, $5.5 million, $7.2 million and $7.1 million respectively, Sindhu made the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. She is a recipient of the sports honours
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
and
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...
, as well as India's fourth-highest civilian award, the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, and third-highest civilian award, the
Padma Bhushan.
Early life and training
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born and brought up in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, India to
P. V. Ramana
Pusarla Venkata Ramana is a former professional volleyball player and an employee of Indian Railways in Secunderabad. He was a member of the India men's national volleyball team. In the 1986 Asian Games, he was part of the team that won a bronz ...
and P. Vijaya.
Ramana, an employee of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
, was born in
Nirmal, Telangana while Vijaya hails from
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Both her parents have been national level
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
players. Her father, Ramana, who was a member of the Indian volleyball team that won the bronze medal in the
1986 Seoul Asian Games, received the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
in 2000 for his contribution to the sport.
Sindhu lives in Hyderabad. She was educated at
Auxilium High School and at
St. Ann's College for Women
St. Ann's College for Women (informally known as St. Ann's) was established in Hyderabad, India in 1981 and is housed in 4 acres of land in Santhosh Nagar Colony, Mehdipatnam
History
St. Ann's College was established in 1981 by the Sisters ...
, Hyderabad. Though her parents played professional volleyball, she chose
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
over it because she drew inspiration from the success of
Pullela Gopichand, the
2001 All England Open Badminton Champion.
She eventually started playing
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
from the age of eight.
She first learned the basics of the sport with the guidance of Mehboob Ali at the badminton courts of the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Secunderabad. Soon after, she joined Pullela Gopichand's
Gopichand Badminton Academy
Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) is a badminton training facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 2008 by the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion, Pullela Gopichand, the facility trains several badminton players such ...
.
While profiling her career, a correspondent with ''The Hindu'' wrote:
"The fact that she reports on time at the coaching camps daily, traveling a distance of 56 km from her residence, is perhaps a reflection of her willingness to complete her desire to be a good badminton player with the required hard work and commitment."
Gopichand seconded this correspondent's opinion when he said that "the most striking feature in Sindhu's game is her attitude and the never-say-die spirit."
After joining Gopichand's badminton academy, Sindhu won several titles. In the under-10 years category, she won the fifth Servo All India ranking championship in the doubles category and the singles title at the Ambuja Cement All India ranking. In the under-13 years category, she won the singles title at the Sub-juniors in
Pondicherry, doubles titles at the Krishna Khaitan All India Tournament IOC All India Ranking, the Sub-Junior Nationals and the All India Ranking in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. She also won the under-14 team gold medal at the 51st National State Games in India.
She later parted company with Gopichand and went on to train with South Korean coach
Park Tae-sang
Park Tae-sang (Hangul: 박태상; born June 20, 1979) is a retired South Korean professional badminton player. After retiring as a badminton player, he decided to become a coach, starting his career with South Korean national team.
Career 2004
...
.
Career
2009–2011
Sindhu entered the international circuit at a young age of 14 in the year 2009. She was a bronze medalist at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships held in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. At the 2010
Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge, she won the silver medal in the women's singles. She reached the quarterfinals of the
2010 BWF World Junior Championships
The 2010 BWF World Junior Championships were held in Guadalajara, Mexico from April 16 to 25, 2010.
Medalists
Team competition
A total of 24 countries competed at the team competition in 2010 BWF World Junior Championships.
Final positions
#
...
that was held in Mexico, where she lost to Chinese
Suo Di in a 3-gamer.
In 2011, she won the Maldives International Challenge in June defeating compatriot
P. C. Thulasi, as well as the Indonesia International Challenge the following month. She then won the Commonwealth Youth Games by beating
Soniia Cheah Su Ya
Soniia Cheah Su Ya (Chinese:谢抒芽, born 19 June 1993) is a former Malaysian badminton player. She is the younger sister of Lyddia Cheah who is also a professional badminton player.
Career
In her junior career, she represented Malaysia at ...
of Malaysia in straight games. She was a finalist at the
Dutch Open Dutch Open may refer to:
*Dutch Open (tennis), an ATP tennis tournament from 1957 to 2008
*Dutch Open (golf), an annual golf tournament on the European Tour
*Dutch Open (badminton)
*Dutch Open (darts)
The Dutch Open is amongst the longest running ...
where she lost to home player
Yao Jie 16–21, 17–21. Her successful run continued after she won the Swiss International beating
Carola Bott
Carola Bott (born 9 July 1984) is a German female badminton player. In 2003, she won bronze medal at the European Junior Badminton Championships in girls' doubles event with Karin Schnaase.
Achievements
European Junior Championships
''Girls' ...
of Germany in the final. She lost in the second round of
2011 BWF World Junior Championships
The 2011 BWF World Junior Championships is the thirteenth tournament of the BWF World Junior Championships. This tournament was held in Taoyuan, Taiwan at Taoyuan Arena from October 28 to November 6, 2011.
Host city
In June 2009, the Chinese T ...
to
Yuki Fukushima in a very close match 21–15, 18–21, 21–23. She won the India International badminton event later in the year, defeating compatriot
Sayali Gokhale.
2012
A 16-year-old Sindhu went on to compete at the
All England Open Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
as a qualifier. She reached the main draw but lost to Taiwan's
Tai Tzu-ying in 3 games. On 7 July 2012, she won the
Asian Junior Championships beating Japan's
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
in the final 18–21, 21–17, 22–20, becoming India's first-ever Asian Junior Champion. In the
Li Ning
Li Ning (born March 10, 1963 in Liuzhou, Guangxi) is a Chinese retired gymnast, billionaire entrepreneur, and the founder of the eponymous sportswear company Li-Ning.
Gymnastics career
Li started training at the age of eight and was select ...
China Masters Superseries tournament, she stunned
London 2012 Olympics gold medalist
Li Xuerui
Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
, beating her 21–19, 9–21, 21–16 and entered the semi-finals. However, she lost in the semi-finals to fourth seeded
Jiang Yanjiao of China 10–21, 21–14, 19–21.
Sindhu then went on to participate in the 77th
Senior National Badminton Championships held at
Srinagar
Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
. She was defeated in the finals by
Sayali Gokhale 15–21, 21–15, 15–21. It was later revealed that she had injured her knee in the
China Open and had carried this injury through the
Japan Open and the nationals. She decided to skip the World Junior Championships so as to not aggravate the injury. She finished runner-up in the Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold event held in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
in December, after going down to Indonesia's
Lindaweni Fanetri
Lindaweni Fanetri (born 18 January 1989) is a former Indonesian badminton player. She played in women's singles. Fanetri is from PB. Suryanaga, a badminton club from Surabaya, the same club with the likes of Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Alvent Yulianto, an ...
in 3 games in the final.
2013
Sindhu stunned China's
Wang Shixian in the second round of the
Asian Championships in 3 tough games to reach the quarterfinal, but lost to
Eriko Hirose
is a badminton player from Japan.
Career
She competed at the 2005 World Badminton Championships in Anaheim. In the women's singles event she reached the third round before losing to Wang Chen of Hong Kong. At the same year, she won the women ...
of Japan in yet another 3-game clash. She reached her career-best ranking of 15. She won the Malaysian Grand Prix Gold title, beating Singaporean
Gu Juan
Gu Juan (; born 26 May 1990) is a Chinese-born Singaporean badminton player who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Gu followed her father to Nanjing when she was six years old. Due to poor body constitution, her father sent her t ...
21–17, 17–21, 21–19. This was her first Grand Prix Gold title. She participated in the
2013 World Championships, where she was seeded tenth in the draw. Having received a bye in the first round, she defeated Japanese
Kaori Imabeppu
is a Japanese badminton player, who is a singles specialist from Nara Prefecture, Japan. In 2008, she won the Portugal and Croatian International tournaments in the women's singles event.
Achievements BWF Grand Prix
The BWF Grand Prix has two ...
in the second round in three games 21–19, 19–21, 21–17 and reached the third round. She then downed the defending champion, second-seeded
Wang Yihan
Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was s ...
of China, 21–18, 23–21 to enter the quarterfinals. She set up a meeting with another higher-seeded Chinese player,
Wang Shixian, and beat her 21–18, 21–17 to become only India's second medalist in the singles events at the World Championships since
Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone (born 10 June 1955) is a former Indian badminton player. He was ranked World No. 1 in 1980; the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. He was awarded the Arjuna award in 1972 ...
's bronze medal in 1983. However, she lost in the semi-final to eventual champion
Ratchanok Intanon.
Sindhu was awarded the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
by the Government of India in recognition of her achievements.
In the
2013 Indian Badminton League
2013 Indian Badminton League was the first season of Indian Badminton League started from 14 August 2013.
Teams
Six teams participate in the first edition of Indian Badminton League:
Mumbai Marathas
* Lee Chong Wei (Captain)
* Pranav Chop ...
, she was the captain of the team
Awadhe Warriors
Awadhe Warriors is a badminton team owned by Sahara Adventure Sports Limited a group company of Sahara India for the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The team's home ground is Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, Lucknow. The team is coached by An ...
. Her team qualified for the semi-final, where they beat
Mumbai Marathas
Mumbai Masters is a badminton team owned by Akshay Kumar and Vigish Pathak for the Premier Badminton League. The team's home ground is National Sports Club of India in Mumbai.
2016 Roaster
* H. S. Prannoy
* Gurusai Dutt
* Han Li (badminton ...
, but lost in the final to
Hyderabad Hotshots
Hyderabad Hotshots was a badminton franchise team representing the city of Hyderabad in the Indian Badminton League(IBL). The team was one of the six franchises in the inaugural IBL 2013. The franchise was owned by Andhra Pradesh’s multi bus ...
. She won the
Macau Open Grand Prix Gold title by defeating Canada's
Michelle Li
Michelle Li (born November 3, 1991) is a Canadian badminton player from Markham, Ontario. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. S ...
21–15, 21–12 in the final.
2014
Sindhu reached the final of the
2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2014 India Grand Prix Gold was the first tournament of the 2014 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. The tournament was held in Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, Lucknow, India from 21 January until 26 January 2014 and had a total purse of ...
but lost to her senior compatriot
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal (; born 17 March 1990) is an Indian professional badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 ...
. She claimed her first medal at the
Asian Championships, a bronze, after beating Thailand's
Busanan Ongbamrungphan
Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thai: บุศนันท์ อึ๊งบำรุงพันธ์; born 22 March 1996) is a Thai badminton player who specializes in singles. She competed at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games as well as the 2020 Summe ...
in the quarterfinal. She reached the semi-final stage of the
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
in the women's singles competition, which she lost narrowly to eventual gold medalist
Michelle Li
Michelle Li (born November 3, 1991) is a Canadian badminton player from Markham, Ontario. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. S ...
of Canada. She later won against Malaysian
Tee Jing Yi
Tee Jing Yi (born 8 February 1991 in George Town, Penang) is a Malaysian badminton player. She competed at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in the women's singles event.
Achievements
Asia Junior Championships
''Girls' doubles ...
to claim the bronze medal.
In the
2014 World Championships held in Denmark, Sindhu was seeded eleventh. She powered past Russian
Olga Arkhangelskaya in her first round in two easy games. She had a tough encounter against sixth seed
Bae Yeon-ju
Bae Yeon-ju (Hangul: 배연주, Hanja: 裵延姝; ; born 26 October 1990) is a retired international badminton player from South Korea.
Career
Bae started playing badminton at aged 10, and first gained international attention in 2006 when she ...
in the Round of 16 where she edged a close win 19–21, 22–20, 25–23. She later created history by becoming the first Indian to win two back-to-back medals in the BWF World Championships, after her bronze medal win the previous year, by beating second seed
Wang Shixian in the quarterfinals in three games 19–21, 21–19, 21–15, in a match lasting more than an hour. However, in the semi-finals, she lost to the eventual champion
Carolina Marín in straight games and had to settle for another bronze medal. At the end of the year, she defended her
Macau Open title by beating
Kim Hyo-min
Kim Hyo-min (born 8 December 1995 ) is a South Korean badminton player. Although she now specializes in singles, Kim's first big result in a major international junior event came when she and fellow singles specialist Lee Min-ji reached the gir ...
of South Korea in the final.
2015
Sindhu was on the verge of victory against
Li Xuerui
Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
in the quarterfinals of the
Asian Championships, but ended up losing 21–11, 19–21, 8–21, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive Asian Championships medal. At the
2015 World Championships, where she was seeded eleventh, Sindhu defeated
Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt of Denmark in the first round after being a game down. She then stunned third seeded
Li Xuerui
Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
in the Round of 16 and reached the quarterfinals of the World Championships once again. However, this time, she suffered defeat against her Korean opponent
Sung Ji-hyun
Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
in a close quarterfinal match 21–17, 19–21, 16–21, narrowly missing out on a third consecutive World Championship medal.
In October, playing at the
Denmark Open, Sindhu reached her maiden superseries tournament final, defeating three seeded players -
Tai Tzu-ying,
Wang Yihan
Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was s ...
and
Carolina Marin
Carolina may refer to:
Geography
* The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina
** North Carolina, a U.S. state
** South Carolina, a U.S. state
* Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712
* Carolina, Alabama, a town in t ...
. In the final, she lost to the defending champion
Li Xuerui
Li Xuerui (born 24 January 1991) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player. She is one of the most successful players of her time. She was a gold medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the women's singles event and was the silver medalists ...
in straight games 19–21, 12–21. In November, the defending champion Sindhu won her third successive women's singles title at the
Macau Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Japan's
Minatsu Mitani
is a retired Japanese badminton player who is a singles specialist from NTT East badminton club. She competed at the 2014 Asian Games.
Mitani expressed her desire to retire after losing in the second round of 73rd All Japan Comprehensive Champ ...
in the final 21–9, 21–23, 21–14.
She suffered a stress fracture in 2015 that kept her from playing for nearly six months, yet managed to qualify for the
2016 Rio Olympics
)
, nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams)
, athletes = 11,238
, events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines)
, opening = 5 August 2016
, closing = 21 August 2016
, opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
.
2016
In January, Sindhu won the
Malaysia Masters
The Malaysia Masters, began in 2009, is a badminton tournament at the Super 500 grade, formerly a Grand Prix Gold. The total prize money is now US$350,000, having previously been US$120,000.
BWF categorised Malaysia Masters as one of the seven ...
Grand Prix Gold women's singles title after beating Scotland's
Kirsty Gilmour
Kirsty Gilmour (born 21 September 1993) is a Scottish badminton player who has represented both Scotland and Great Britain.
Career
Gilmour won the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, losing out to Michelle Li of Canada in the final ...
in the final. She had also won this tournament in 2013. She lost a close match at the
Asian Championships to
Tai Tzu-ying in the second round, in which she failed to capitalise on a match point and suffered defeat. In the
2016 Premier Badminton League
2016 Premier Badminton League (also known as Star Sports Premier Badminton League 2016 for sponsorship reasons) was the first edition of the Premier Badminton League. The season was held from 2–17 January 2016. The opening ceremony was held in ...
, she was the captain of the
Chennai Smashers
Chennai Superstarz (formerly known as Chennai Smashers) is a franchise badminton team based in Chennai that plays in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The team has won the PBL title once, has been in the semi-finals of the league twice in th ...
team. In the group stage of the league, she won all of her five matches to help her team qualify for the semi-final and win the tournament against
Mumbai Rockets
Mumbai Rockets is a franchise badminton team representing Mumbai in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The franchise is owned by Bombay Badminton Pvt. Ltd. The team's home ground is The National Sports Club Of India, Mumbai. The team is captai ...
.
Sindhu was seeded ninth at the
Rio Olympic Games. In the group stage, she defeated Hungary's
Laura Sárosi
Laura Sárosi (born 11 November 1992) is a Hungarian badminton player who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
2016 European Championships
During the 2016 European Championships held in France, Sárosi was el ...
(2–0) and Canada's
Michelle Li
Michelle Li (born November 3, 1991) is a Canadian badminton player from Markham, Ontario. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. S ...
(2–1). She then ousted Taiwanese eighth seed
Tai Tzu-ying (2–0) in the Round of 16 to meet the second seeded
Wang Yihan
Wang Yihan (born 18 January 1988) is a retired Chinese professional badminton player and former women's singles world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was s ...
from China in the quarterfinals, whom she also defeated in straight games. She later faced sixth seeded Japanese star
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
in the semi-finals and won in straight games, ensuring a podium finish. This set the stage for her final showdown with the top seed from Spain,
Carolina Marín. Marin managed to beat her in three games in the 83-minute match. With that result, she clinched the silver medal, creating history as India's youngest individual Olympic medallist and the first Indian woman to bag an Olympic silver medal. This was only the second instance of a podium finish at the Olympics by any Indian badminton player.
Following her Olympic success, Sindhu clinched the title at the
Thaihot China Open beating China's
Sun Yu 21–11, 17–21, 21–11. With this win, she became the second Indian player after
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal (; born 17 March 1990) is an Indian professional badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 ...
and just the third non-Chinese women's singles player to win the China Open. She was also the runner-up at the
Hongkong Open after going down to
Tai Tzu-ying in the final in straight games. With her consistent performances, she qualified for the
Superseries Finals. She defeated
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
(2–1), lost to
Sun Yu (0–2) and beat
Carolina Marín (2–0) in the group stage. With 2 wins in the group, she reached the semi-finals, managing to do so in just her first-ever appearance in the tournament. However, she was defeated in the semi-finals by
Sung Ji-hyun
Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
, going down 15–21, 21–18, 15–21. Sindhu was named as the
BWF Most Improved Player of the Year following her achievements in 2016.
2017
Sindhu won the
Syed Modi International by beating
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung Cahyaningsih (born 11 August 1999) is an Indonesian badminton player who plays in the singles event. Her club is PB. Mutiara Cardinal in Bandung, West Java, and entered the national team in 2013. She won the girls' sing ...
of Indonesia in the final. In the
India Open Superseries, she won the title by defeating
Carolina Marin
Carolina may refer to:
Geography
* The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina
** North Carolina, a U.S. state
** South Carolina, a U.S. state
* Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712
* Carolina, Alabama, a town in t ...
in straight games. In April 2017, she achieved a career-high world ranking of number 2. At the
2017 World Championships held in Scotland, she was seeded fourth. In the Round of 32, she defeated Korean
Kim Hyo-min
Kim Hyo-min (born 8 December 1995 ) is a South Korean badminton player. Although she now specializes in singles, Kim's first big result in a major international junior event came when she and fellow singles specialist Lee Min-ji reached the gir ...
in straight games. She survived a difficult challenge from Hongkonger
Cheung Ngan Yi
Cheung Ngan Yi (; born 27 April 1993) is a Hong Kong badminton player.
Career
Cheung participated in the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships, the 2015 Malaysia Super Series Premier Qualification and in the 2016 Vietnam Open Grand Prix. In 2 ...
in the next round, beating her in 3 close games 19–21, 23–21, 21–17. She thereafter eased past
Sun Yu in the quarterfinal and another Chinese
Chen Yufei
Chen Yufei (; born 1 March 1998) is a Chinese badminton player. She is the reigning Olympic champion. She won the girls' singles junior titles at the 2016 Asian and the World Junior Championships. At the same year, Chen clinched her first se ...
in the semi-final, both in straight games. She had to settle for silver after losing to
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
in the final 19–21, 22–20, 20–22, a close and exciting match lasting 110 minutes, thus making it the second longest women's singles match in the history of badminton. Her final against Okuhara is widely regarded as one of the best ever women's singles matches in the history of the sport.
Sindhu defeated Okuhara in the final of the
2017 Korea Open Super Series
The 2017 Korea Open (badminton), Korea Open Super Series was the seventh Super Series tournament of the 2017 BWF Super Series. The tournament took place at SK Handball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea from September 12 – 17, 2017 and had a total pu ...
22–20, 11–21, 21–18, thereby becoming the first Indian to win the
Korea Open. In August, she took charge as the Deputy Collector in
Krishna District
Krishna district is district in the coastal Andhra Region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is the coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. Machilipatnam is the most populated city in the di ...
in the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) office under the Revenue Department of the Government of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. She set up a repeat clash of the previous year's final at the
Hongkong Open, which she again lost to
Tai Tzu-ying in straight games. Owing to her consistent performances, she qualified yet again for the
Superseries Finals, and was also nominated for the
BWF Female Player of the Year Award, which was eventually won by
Chen Qingchen of China. In the group stage of the
Dubai World Superseries Finals, she won all of her matches against
He Bingjiao (2–1),
Sayaka Sato
is a Japanese badminton player. She competed for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Achievements
BWF World Junior Championships
''Girls' singles''
BWF Superseries
The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 200 ...
(2–0) and
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
(2–0) to progress to the semi-final. In the semi-final, she defeated China's
Chen Yufei
Chen Yufei (; born 1 March 1998) is a Chinese badminton player. She is the reigning Olympic champion. She won the girls' singles junior titles at the 2016 Asian and the World Junior Championships. At the same year, Chen clinched her first se ...
(2–0) to reach the final. She finished as the runner-up after being narrowly beaten by Japan's
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
21–15, 12–21, 19–21 in an exciting 94-minute final.
2018
Sindhu faltered in the final again, this time at her home event, the
India Open
The India Open is an annual badminton event which has been held in India since 2008 and is a BWF World Tour Super 750 international badminton tournament. Its first three editions were designated as Grand Prix Gold events. In 2011, it was upgr ...
, where she had a match point in the third game but was unable to convert it and lost the match narrowly to
Beiwen Zhang. At the
All England Open Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
, she made it to the last four, before losing to world number 3
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
in the semi-final with a close 21–19, 19–21, 18–21 scoreline. This was her best performance at the
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
. She competed at the
2018 Commonwealth Games
The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
in
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, winning a gold medal in the mixed team event and a silver medal in the singles event. Her jinx of losing in finals continued after she went down to
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
in the final of the
Thailand Open.
Sindhu was seeded third in the
2018 BWF World Championships
The 2018 BWF World Championships was a badminton tournament which was held from 30 July to 5 August at Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Sports Park Arena in Nanjing, China.
Host city selection
Nanjing was the only bidder for 2018 edition of championsh ...
. She won her opening encounters against
Fitriani
Fitriani (born 27 December 1998) is an Indonesian badminton player specializing in women's singles and women's doubles discipline affiliated with Exist club. She won team silver at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and bronze medals at the 2017 Sout ...
and ninth seed
Sung Ji-hyun
Sung Ji-hyun (; born 29 July 1991) is a South Korean badminton player from Seoul. She is an Asian Championship gold medalist, a two-time Summer Universiade gold medalist, and a World Championship bronze medalist. She was also part of South Kore ...
, both in straight games. She then faced defending champion
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
, whom she also defeated with a 21–17, 21–19 scoreline. In the semi-finals, she beat second-seeded
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
in 2 games 21–16, 24–22. She won her second consecutive World Championship silver medal after losing to
Carolina Marín in the final 19–21, 10–21. This was her fourth medal at the World Championships in total.
Sindhu was seeded third in the
2018 Asian Games
The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...
. In the first round, she defeated Vietnamese
Vu Thi Trang in 3 games 21–10, 12–21, 23–21 in a very close encounter. She then faced
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung Cahyaningsih (born 11 August 1999) is an Indonesian badminton player who plays in the singles event. Her club is PB. Mutiara Cardinal in Bandung, West Java, and entered the national team in 2013. She won the girls' sing ...
and beat her with a 21–12, 21–15 scoreline. She then had to battle to get past Thai
Nitchaon Jindapol
Nitchaon Jindapol ( th, ณิชชาอร จินดาพล; born 31 March 1991) is a Thai badminton singles player. She was a member of the national women's team which finished as runners-up at the 2010 Asian Games. She graduated at the ...
in the quarterfinal in three games. In the semifinal, she defeated second seed
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
to enter the final round. Though she lost to top seed
Tai Tzu-ying in the final, she won a historic first silver medal for India in badminton.
Sindhu qualified for the
2018 BWF World Tour Finals
The 2018 BWF World Tour Finals (officially known as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was the final tournament of the 2018 BWF World Tour. It was held from 12 to 16 December 2018 in Guangzhou, China and had a total prize ...
at the end of the year. In the group stage, she defeated defending champion
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
(2–0), top seed
Tai Tzu-ying (2–1) and USA's
Beiwen Zhang (2–0) to progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-final, she defeated Thailand's
Ratchanok Intanon (2–0) to reach her second consecutive final at the tournament. In the final, she defeated her arch-rival
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
21–19, 21–17, becoming the only shuttler from India to claim the title at the year-end finale.
2019–20
Sindhu was bought by the defending champions
Hyderabad Hunters in the 2018 PBL auctions and was named as their skipper. They lost in the semi-finals to
Mumbai Rockets
Mumbai Rockets is a franchise badminton team representing Mumbai in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The franchise is owned by Bombay Badminton Pvt. Ltd. The team's home ground is The National Sports Club Of India, Mumbai. The team is captai ...
. Sindhu competed at the
Indian National Badminton Championships where she reached the final, losing to three-time champion
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal (; born 17 March 1990) is an Indian professional badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 ...
18–21, 15–21. Just before the
All England Badminton Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
, she had ended her deal with Yonex and signed a mega-deal with Li-Ning for 4 years worth nearly . This led to her having a new racket and equipment to which she had to get used to within 2–3 weeks, to debut it at the prestigious
All England Badminton Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
. She reached her first final of the season in the
Indonesia Open, where she lost to
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
of Japan 15–21, 16–21.
At the
2019 World Championships, Sindhu was seeded fifth. She opened her campaign with comfortable straight-game victories over
Pai Yu-po
Pai Yu-po (; born 18 April 1991) is a Taiwanese badminton player. She started playing badminton at age 9, and debuted at the 2007 Vietnam International The Vietnam International or Vietnam Satellite or Hanoi International in badminton is an inte ...
and ninth seed
Beiwen Zhang in successive rounds. She impressed everyone with her victory over second seed
Tai Tzu-ying in the quarterfinals. She defeated Tai, coming from a game down 12–21, 23–21, 21–19 to make the semi-final and secure a fifth World Championship medal, the joint-most in the history of women's singles badminton. In the semi-final, she defeated third seed
Chen Yufei
Chen Yufei (; born 1 March 1998) is a Chinese badminton player. She is the reigning Olympic champion. She won the girls' singles junior titles at the 2016 Asian and the World Junior Championships. At the same year, Chen clinched her first se ...
in straight games in dominating fashion, 21–7, 21–14, to enter her third consecutive World Championships final. In the final against
Nozomi Okuhara
is a Japanese badminton player. A former World's number 1 in the BWF rankings for the women's singles, she is well known for her speed, agility and endurance. She won a bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and gold medal at the 2017 World Cha ...
, she put up a near-flawless display to win 21–7, 21–7. In the process, she became the first Indian to win gold at the World Championships.
Despite her ranking as 15th on the World Tour, Sindhu got a wild card entry into the
2019 BWF World Tour Finals
The 2019 BWF World Tour Finals (officially known as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2019 for sponsorship reasons) was the final tournament of the 2019 BWF World Tour. It was held from 11 to 15 December 2019 in Guangzhou, China and had a total priz ...
because of her World Championship victory in August 2019. She competed in the World Tour Finals in Guangzhou as the defending champion but failed to reach the knockout phase after losing to
Chen Yufei
Chen Yufei (; born 1 March 1998) is a Chinese badminton player. She is the reigning Olympic champion. She won the girls' singles junior titles at the 2016 Asian and the World Junior Championships. At the same year, Chen clinched her first se ...
(1–2) and
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
(1–2) in successive rounds. She finished off as third in the group after defeating
He Bingjiao 21–19, 21–19 in her last match. She was named the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
Indian Sportswoman of Year on 8 March 2020. In April, she was elected as one of the ambassadors of the BWF Committee's campaign – "I am Badminton" to promote clean and fair play in the sport.
2021
Sindhu, reaching her first final in over 18 months at the
2021 Swiss Open, suffered a demoralising defeat against
Carolina Marín, losing 12–21, 5–21. She was then stunned by
Pornpawee Chochuwong
Pornpawee Chochuwong ( th, พรปวีณ์ ช่อชูวงศ์; born 22 January 1998) is a Thai badminton player. She was the girls' singles silver medalist at the 2015 Asian and 2016 World Junior Championships. She was also part ...
of Thailand in the semi-final of the
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
, losing out 17–21, 9–21. In May, she was elected as one of the two ambassadors from badminton in the International Olympic Committee's campaign ‘Believe in Sport’, aimed at preventing competition manipulation in the sport.
Sindhu was seeded sixth at the
Tokyo Olympic Games Tokyo Olympics may refer to:
* 1940 Summer Olympics
* 1964 Summer Olympics
* 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021)
See also
* Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics
* Tokyo Paralympics (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
. She won both of her group matches against Israel's
Ksenia Polikarpova
Ksenia Olegovna Polikarpova (russian: Ксения Олеговна Поликарпова, he, קסניה פוליקרפובה; born 11 March 1990) is Russian-Israeli Olympic badminton player.
In 2009, she won a bronze medal at the European ...
and Hong Kong's
Cheung Ngan Yi
Cheung Ngan Yi (; born 27 April 1993) is a Hong Kong badminton player.
Career
Cheung participated in the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships, the 2015 Malaysia Super Series Premier Qualification and in the 2016 Vietnam Open Grand Prix. In 2 ...
to progress towards the knockout stage. She defeated Denmark's
Mia Blichfeldt
Mia Blichfeldt (born 19 August 1997) is a Danish badminton player. She won the gold medals at the 2015 European Junior Championships in the girls' singles event, and later at the 2019 Minsk European Games in the women's singles event.
Career ...
comfortably in the Round of 16 and reached the quarterfinals. She put up a dominating display to outmanoeuvre fourth seed
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
of Japan 21–13, 22–20, placing herself in the last four stage, also becoming the only Indian shuttler to reach two consecutive Olympic semi-finals. Her opponent for the semi-final was second seed
Tai Tzu-ying. Sindhu, who was yet to drop a game in the tournament, fell against Taiwan's Tai in two straight games 18–21, 12–21. She later beat eighth seed
He Bingjiao of China in the playoff to clinch the bronze medal, thereby becoming the first Indian woman and only the fourth player in women's singles badminton to claim two medals at two consecutive Olympic games.
At the
2021 BWF World Championships
The 2021 BWF World Championships (officially known as the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place from 12 to 19 December 2021 at Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín in H ...
, where she competed as the defending champion, Sindhu was seeded sixth. She eased past Slovakia's
Martina Repiská
Martina Repiská (; born 21 October 1995) is a Slovak badminton player. She started playing badminton at the age of nine in her hometown, then playing competitively in the junior international tournament when she was twelve. She became the member ...
in her opening encounter in straight games. She then defeated ninth seed
Pornpawee Chochuwong
Pornpawee Chochuwong ( th, พรปวีณ์ ช่อชูวงศ์; born 22 January 1998) is a Thai badminton player. She was the girls' singles silver medalist at the 2015 Asian and 2016 World Junior Championships. She was also part ...
21–14, 21–18 in another straight-game encounter to make the quarterfinals. However, in the quarterfinals, she went down to top seed
Tai Tzu-ying 17–21, 13–21, failing to medal at the World Championships for only the second time in her career.
Sindhu qualified for the
2021 BWF World Tour Finals
The 2021 BWF World Tour Finals (officially known as the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was the final tournament of the 2021 BWF World Tour. It was held from 1 to 5 December 2021 in Bali, Indonesia and had a total prize o ...
at the end of the year. In the group stage, she beat
Line Christophersen (2–0),
Yvonne Li
Yvonne Li (born 30 May 1998) is a German badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with ...
(2–0) and lost to
Pornpawee Chochuwong
Pornpawee Chochuwong ( th, พรปวีณ์ ช่อชูวงศ์; born 22 January 1998) is a Thai badminton player. She was the girls' singles silver medalist at the 2015 Asian and 2016 World Junior Championships. She was also part ...
(1–2), qualifying for the semi-finals as second in her group. In the semi-final, she beat
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
21–15, 15–21, 21–19 in an exciting clash to make a third final at the year-end championships, only the second women's singles player to do so. In the final, she lost to South Korea's
An Se-young
An Se-young (; born 5 February 2002) is a South Korean badminton player from Gwangju, who was awarded as 2019 Most Promising Player of the Year by the BWF.
In 2018, An was selected to join the national team and became the first junior high sc ...
to bag a second silver medal at the tournament.
2022
Sindhu won the
Syed Modi International for the second time beating compatriot
Malvika Bansod
Malvika Bansod (born 15 September 2001) is an Indian badminton player from Nagpur, Maharashtra. She has won international titles such as the Maldives and Nepal International in 2019. Bansod has won several gold medals at the national level-even ...
in the final. She then won the title at the
2022 Swiss Open, defeating Thailand's
Busanan Ongbamrungphan
Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thai: บุศนันท์ อึ๊งบำรุงพันธ์; born 22 March 1996) is a Thai badminton player who specializes in singles. She competed at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games as well as the 2020 Summe ...
in the final in two straight games. At the
2022 Badminton Asia Championships
The 2022 Badminton Asia Championships was a badminton tournament held at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Muntinlupa in the Philippines from 26 April to 1 May 2022. The prior tournament was held in 2019, with no tournament held for the ensuing two ...
, where she was seeded fourth, Sindhu defeated fifth seed
He Bingjiao of China in the quarterfinals, but lost a close and controversial semi-final to top seed
Akane Yamaguchi
is a Japanese badminton player who is the reigning two-time World Champion, winning gold in the women's singles at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. She was on the winning Japanese team at the Asian Junior Championships in 2012 and won var ...
, thus winning the bronze medal, her second medal at the tournament. She then won the
Singapore Open title, beating Asian Champion
Wang Zhiyi of China in the final.
At the
2022 Commonwealth Games
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...
, Sindhu won her maiden
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
gold medal in the
women's singles, beating
Michelle Li
Michelle Li (born November 3, 1991) is a Canadian badminton player from Markham, Ontario. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. S ...
of Canada in the final. With this win, she became only the second women's singles player to win a full set of medals at the Commonwealth Games. She was also unbeaten in the
mixed team event, where India won a silver medal. However, during the Games, she sustained a left foot stress fracture injury that kept her out of all remaining tournaments of the year, including the
World Championships and the
World Tour Finals
The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...
.
Endorsements
An Economic Times report published in March 2017 noted that she is second only to Indian cricket captain
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed Batting (cricket), batte ...
when it comes to earnings from each day of brand endorsements. Sindhu charges brands anywhere between and for a single day of endorsement related activities.
She has endorsement deals with
JBL
JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. JBL serves the customer home and professional market. The professional market includes studios, installed/tour/portable sound, cars, music ...
,
Bridgestone Tyres, sports drink
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...
, pain reliever ointment Moov, online fashion store
Myntra, e-commerce portal
Flipkart, phone maker
Nokia
Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...
and electronics major
Panasonic. She also endorses
Stayfree
Stayfree is an American brand of feminine hygiene products, including maxi pads, ultra thin pads, and female wipes. On July 31, 2013, Energizer bought Stayfree from Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corp ...
, health drink Boost, honey producer APIS Himalaya, herbal health drink firm Ojasvita and the
Bank of Baroda. She is also a brand ambassador for both the
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role li ...
and Vizag Steel.
In February 2019, it was announced that Sindhu had signed a four-year sports sponsorship deal for with Chinese sports brand
Li Ning
Li Ning (born March 10, 1963 in Liuzhou, Guangxi) is a Chinese retired gymnast, billionaire entrepreneur, and the founder of the eponymous sportswear company Li-Ning.
Gymnastics career
Li started training at the age of eight and was select ...
. Her deal is one of the biggest in world badminton.
She would reportedly get as sponsorship while the rest of the money would be for equipment. This was Li-Ning's second stint with Sindhu, who was with them for two years in 2014-2015 for a sum of a year. In 2016, she was back with Yonex for a per year contract for a period of three years.
Achievements
Olympic Games
''Women's singles''
BWF World Championships
''Women's singles''
Asian Games
''Women's singles''
Asian Championships
''Women's singles''
Commonwealth Games
''Women's singles''
South Asian Games
''Women's singles''
Commonwealth Youth Games
''Girls' singles''
Asian Junior Championships
''Girls' Singles''
BWF World Tour (4 titles, 5 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.
''Women's singles''
BWF Superseries (3 titles, 4 runners-up)
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF). BWF Superseries levels were
Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
''Women's singles''
:
BWF Superseries Finals The BWF Super Series Finals (named as BWF Super Series Masters Finals until 2009) was an annual badminton tournament held at the end of the year where the players with the most points from that calendar year's twelve events of the BWF Super Series c ...
tournament
:
BWF Superseries Premier tournament
:
BWF Superseries
The BWF Super Series was a series of Grade 2 badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007.
Since 2011, the Super Series includes two levels of tournament, ...
tournament
BWF Grand Prix (6 titles, 3 runners-up)
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the
Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the
Badminton World Federation
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
''Women's singles''
:
BWF Grand Prix BWF may refer to: Sports organisations Badminton
* Badminton World Federation, an international governing body for badminton
Professional wrestling
* Brazilian Wrestling Federation, a Brazilian Professional wrestling promotion.
* British Wrestling ...
tournament
:
BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
''Women's singles''
:
BWF International Challenge
The BWF International Challenge is a grade 3 and level 1 tournament part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Series (level 2) and Future Series (level 3), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007.
...
tournament
:
BWF International Series
The BWF International Series is a grade 3 and level 2 tournament part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Challenge (level 1) and Future Series (level 3), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. ...
tournament
Invitational tournament
''Women's singles''
Career overview
:''
* Statistics were last updated on 13 August 2022.''
Singles performance timeline
Record against selected opponents
Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of
10 July 2022.
Personal life
Sindhu has been employed with
Bharat Petroleum
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is In ...
since July 2013, as an assistant sports manager with their Hyderabad office. Following her silver-medal win at the Rio Olympics, she was promoted to deputy sports manager. She was appointed as the first brand ambassador of
Bridgestone India.
She was appointed as the Deputy Collector (Group-I) by the
Andhra Pradesh government
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 MLAs elected to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh for ...
in July 2017, which she took charge later in August.
She was the flag bearer for the
Indian contingent in the opening ceremony of the
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and
2022 Commonwealth Games
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...
.
Awards and recognition
National
*
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
(2013)
*
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, the fourth-highest civilian award of India (2015)
*
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The Khel Ratna Award (), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award), is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Governm ...
, the highest sporting honour of India (2016)
*
Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of India (2020)
Others
*
CNN-IBN Indian of the Year (Sports) 2013
*
FICCI
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India.
History
Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla and ...
Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year 2014
*
NDTV Indian of the Year (Sports) 2014
*
BWF Most Improved Player of the Year 2016
*
Indian Sports Honours
Indian Sports Honours are awards given annually by the RPSG Group in association with the Virat Kohli Foundation to outstanding sports personalities from India. The awards were founded in 2017.
2017 Awards
The inaugural 2017 award ceremony was h ...
Sportswoman of the Year 2017
* TV9 Nava Nakshatra Sanmanam 2019
* Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) Sportsperson of the Year 2019
*
BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award (abbreviated as BBC ISWOTY) is an initiative first announced in December 2019 by BBC Hindi to celebrate and honour sportswomen from India who have excelled in their c ...
2020
*
Champions of Change (Telangana) 2021
*
NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
True Legend: Future of Young India (Sports) 2022
Rewards for winning the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics
* , and a
land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
from the
Government of Telangana
The Government of Telangana also known as Telangana Government, is the governing authority of the state of Telangana in India. It consists of an executive, a judiciary and a legislative.
The state government is headed by the Governor of Telan ...
.
* , a Group A cadre job (Deputy Collector of Andhra Pradesh) and 1000 yd
2 land grant from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
.
* from the
Government of Delhi.
* from her employer,
Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is In ...
, with promotion from assistant to deputy sports manager.
* from the
Government of Haryana.
* from the
Government of Madhya Pradesh
Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive, ...
.
* from the
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
* from
Badminton Association of India
Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body of badminton in India. BAI is an association registered under the societies act. It was formed in 1934, and has been holding national-level tournaments in India since 1936.
BAI has 28 ...
.
* from NRI businessman, Mukkattu Sebastian.
* from the
Indian Olympic Association.
* from
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation.
It is affiliated to Ministry o ...
.
* from actor
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...
, for qualifying as an Olympic participant.
*
BMW car from the Hyderabad District Badminton Association and Indian cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-scor ...
.
*
Mahindra Thar from
Mahindra Group
Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group has operations in over 100 countries, with a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket automotive components, construction equipment, defenc ...
chairman
Anand Mahindra.
* Two-acre land from actor
Vijayachander.
* Diamond necklace worth from NAC Jewellers.
* Miniature gold and diamond badminton racquet memento from
Kirtilals.
Rewards for winning the gold medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships
* from the
Badminton Association of India
Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body of badminton in India. BAI is an association registered under the societies act. It was formed in 1934, and has been holding national-level tournaments in India since 1936.
BAI has 28 ...
.
* from the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
.
* from the
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
.
*
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
.
*
BMW car from actor
Nagarjuna Akkineni
Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao (born 29 August 1959), known mononymously as Nagarjuna, is an Indian actor, film producer, television presenter, and entrepreneur. Nagarjuna has acted predominantly in Telugu, along with a few Hindi and Tamil language fil ...
and businessman
V. Chamundeswaranath.
Rewards for winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
* from the
Government of Uttar Pradesh
The Government of Uttar Pradesh (ISO: Uttar Pradesh Sarkār; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state by the President of I ...
.
* from
BYJU'S.
* from the
Government of Telangana
The Government of Telangana also known as Telangana Government, is the governing authority of the state of Telangana in India. It consists of an executive, a judiciary and a legislative.
The state government is headed by the Governor of Telan ...
.
* from the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
.
* from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
.
* from the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...
* from the
Indian Olympic Association.
* from the
JSW Group
JSW Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, based in Mumbai. It is led by Sajjan Jindal and part of the O.P. Jindal Group. The Group's diverse businesses include steel, energy, infrastructure, cement and paints, across India, the Unite ...
.
See also
*
Badminton in India
Badminton is a popular sport in India. It is the second-most played sport in India after Cricket. Badminton in India is managed by the Badminton Association of India.
Indian shuttlers P. V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, H. S. Prannoy, and the doubles p ...
*
India national badminton team
India national badminton team represents India in international team badminton and is governed by the Badminton Association of India. The men's team has won the Thomas Cup in 2022. The Indian team competed in the 2011 Sudirman Cup and shared the ...
*
List of Indian sportswomen
This List of Indian Sportswomen includes the champion sports women that India has ever produced who bought laurels to their mother land by establishing records & winning titles on international stage.
* Anjali Bhagwat, Shooting - Conferred wit ...
References
External links
*
*
*
P. V. Sindhuat
Olympic Gold Quest
Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) is a program of the Foundation for Promotion of Sports and Games, a Not for Profit (Section 25) Company, which is committed to bridging the gap between the best athletes in India and the best athletes in the world thus hel ...
P. V. Sindhuat
Gopichand Badminton Academy
Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) is a badminton training facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 2008 by the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion, Pullela Gopichand, the facility trains several badminton players such ...
P. V. Sindhuat tournamentsoftware.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:P. V. Sindhu
1995 births
Living people
Telugu people
Racket sportspeople from Hyderabad, India
Sportswomen from Hyderabad, India
21st-century Indian women
21st-century Indian people
Indian female badminton players
Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic badminton players of India
Olympic silver medalists for India
Olympic bronze medalists for India
Olympic medalists in badminton
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Badminton players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Badminton players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for India
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for India
Commonwealth Games medallists in badminton
Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2018 Asian Games
Asian Games silver medalists for India
Asian Games bronze medalists for India
Asian Games medalists in badminton
Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
South Asian Games gold medalists for India
South Asian Games silver medalists for India
South Asian Games medalists in badminton
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports
Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports