Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995) is an Indianbadminton player.[5] Considered as one of India's most successful athletes, Sindhu has won medals at tournaments such as theOlympic Games, theWorld Championships, and on theWorld Tour. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games.[6] She rose to a career-high world ranking of No. 2 in April 2017.[7]
Sindhu broke into the top 20 of theBWF World Rankings in September 2012, at the age of 17.[8] She has won a total of five medals at theBWF World Championships and is only the second woman after China'sZhang Ning ever to win five or more singles medals in the competition. She represented India at the2016 Rio Olympics, where she became the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final. She won the silver medal after losing out to Spain'sCarolina Marín.[9] She made her second consecutiveOlympic appearance at the2020 Tokyo Olympics and won a bronze medal, becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.[10][11]
Sindhu won her firstsuperseries title at the2016 China Open and followed it up with four more finals in 2017, winning the titles inSouth Korea andIndia. She also won the2018 BWF World Tour Finals and remains the only Indian player to win a season finale title. She is also the reigningCommonwealth Games champion and has won three consecutive singles medals at theCommonwealth Games, a silver medal at theAsian Games, and two bronze medals at theUber Cup.
With earnings of US$8.5 million (2018), $5.5 million (2019), $7.2 million (2021), and $7.1 million (2022-24), Sindhu made theForbes' list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.[12][13][14][15][16][17] She is a recipient of the sports honoursKhel Ratna Award andArjuna Award, India's highest and second-highest sports awards. As well as thePadma Bhushan andPadma Shri, India's third-highest and fourth-highest civilian awards.
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born on 5 July 1995, in aTelugu family, toP. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya, inHyderabad, India.[18][19] Both her parents hail fromAndhra Pradesh.[19][20] Her mother is fromVijayawada, while her father's family is originally fromEluru and later moved toGuntur andNirmal, where he was born.[20][21][22] Sindhu lives inHyderabad. She and her family regularly visit theirfamily deity in Ratnalammakunta village ofEluru district, Andhra Pradesh.[26] She was educated atAuxilium High School,Hyderabad,[27] and atSt. Ann's College for Women,Hyderabad.[28]
Both her parents have been national levelvolleyball players. Her father, Ramana, was a member of the Indian volleyball team that won the bronze medal in the1986 Seoul Asian Games, received theArjuna Award in 2000 for his contribution to the sport.[29] Though her parents played professional volleyball, she chosebadminton over it because she drew inspiration from the success ofPullela Gopichand, the2001 All England Open Badminton Champion.[30] She eventually started playingbadminton from the age of eight.[29] 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'sGopichand Badminton Academy.[30] While profiling her career, a correspondent withThe 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."[30]
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."[31] 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 inPondicherry, doubles titles at the Krishna Khaitan All India Tournament IOC All India Ranking, the Sub-Junior Nationals and the All India Ranking inPune. She also won the under-14 team gold medal at the 51st National State Games in India.[29] She later parted company with Gopichand and went on to train with South Korean coachPark Tae-sang.[32] She is currently coached byAnup Sridhar andLee Hyun-il.[33]
Sindhu got engaged to businessman Venkata Datta Sai in early December 2024 and got married on 22 December.[34][35]
Sindhu has been employed withBharat Petroleum 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 ofBridgestone India.[36] She was appointed as the Deputy Collector (Group-I) by theAndhra Pradesh government in July 2017, which she took charge later in August.[37]
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 inColombo. At the 2010Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge, she won the silver medal in the women's singles.[38] She reached the quarter-finals of the2010 BWF World Junior Championships that was held in Mexico, where she lost to ChineseSuo Di in a 3-gamer.[39]
In 2011, she won the Maldives International Challenge in June defeating compatriotP. C. Thulasi,[40] as well as the Indonesia International Challenge the following month.[41] She then won the Commonwealth Youth Games by beatingSoniia Cheah Su Ya of Malaysia in straight games.[42] She was a finalist at theDutch Open where she lost to home playerYao Jie 16–21, 17–21.[43] Her successful run continued after she won the Swiss International beatingCarola Bott of Germany in the final.[44] She lost in the second round of the2011 BWF World Junior Championships toYuki Fukushima in a very close match 21–15, 18–21, 21–23.[45] She won the India International badminton event later in the year, defeating compatriotSayali Gokhale.[46]
A 16-year-old Sindhu went on to compete at theAll England Open Championships as a qualifier. She reached the main draw but lost to Taiwan'sTai Tzu-ying in 3 games. On 7 July 2012, she won theAsian Junior Championships beating Japan'sNozomi Okuhara in the final 18–21, 21–17, 22–20, becoming India's first-ever Asian Junior Champion.[47] In theChina Masters Superseries tournament, she stunnedLondon 2012 Olympics gold medalistLi Xuerui, beating her 21–19, 9–21, 21–16 and entered the semi-finals.[48] However, she lost in the semi-finals to fourth seededJiang Yanjiao of China 10–21, 21–14, 19–21.[49]
Sindhu then went on to participate in the 77thSenior National Badminton Championships held atSrinagar. She was defeated in the finals bySayali Gokhale 15–21, 21–15, 15–21.[50] It was later revealed that she had injured her knee in theChina Open and had carried this injury through theJapan Open and the nationals. She decided to skip the World Junior Championships so as to not aggravate the injury.[51] She finished runner-up in the Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold event held inLucknow in December, after going down to Indonesia'sLindaweni Fanetri in 3 games in the final.[52]
Sindhu stunned China'sWang Shixian in the second round of theAsian Championships in 3 tough games to reach the quarter-final, but lost toEriko Hirose of Japan in yet another 3-game clash.[53] She reached her career-best ranking of 15.[54] She won the Malaysian Grand Prix Gold title, beating SingaporeanGu Juan - 21–17, 17–21, 21–19. This was her first Grand Prix Gold title.[55] She participated in the2013 World Championships, where she was seeded tenth in the draw. Having received a bye in the first round, she defeated JapaneseKaori Imabeppu 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-seededWang Yihan of China, 21–18, 23–21 to enter the quarter-finals.[56] 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 sincePrakash Padukone's bronze medal in 1983.[57] However, she lost in the semi-final to eventual championRatchanok Intanon.[58]
Sindhu was awarded theArjuna Award by the Government of India in recognition of her achievements.[59] In the2013 Indian Badminton League, she was the captain of the teamAwadhe Warriors. Her team qualified for the semi-final, where they beatMumbai Marathas, but lost in the final toHyderabad Hotshots. She won theMacau Open Grand Prix Gold title by defeating Canada'sMichelle Li 21–15, 21–12 in the final.[60]
Sindhu reached the final of the2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold but lost to her senior compatriotSaina Nehwal.[61] She claimed her first medal at theAsian Championships, a bronze, after beating Thailand'sBusanan Ongbamrungphan in the quarter-finals.[62] She reached the semi-final stage of the2014 Commonwealth Games in the women's singles competition, which she lost narrowly to eventual gold medalistMichelle Li of Canada. She later won against MalaysianTee Jing Yi to claim the bronze medal.[63]
In the2014 World Championships held in Denmark, Sindhu was seeded eleventh. She powered past RussianOlga Arkhangelskaya in her first round in two easy games. She had a tough encounter against sixth seedBae Yeon-ju 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 seedWang Shixian in the quarter-finals in three games 19–21, 21–19, 21–15, in a match lasting more than an hour.[64] However, in the semi-finals, she lost to the eventual championCarolina Marín in straight games and had to settle for another bronze medal.[65] At the end of the year, she defended herMacau Open title by beatingKim Hyo-min of South Korea in the final.[66]
Sindhu was on the verge of victory againstLi Xuerui in the quarter-finals of theAsian Championships, but ended up losing 21–11, 19–21, 8–21, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive Asian Championships medal.[67] At the2015 World Championships, where she was seeded eleventh, Sindhu defeatedLine Kjærsfeldt of Denmark in the first round after being a game down. She then stunned third seededLi Xuerui in the round of 16 and reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships once again.[68] However, this time, she suffered defeat against her Korean opponentSung Ji-hyun in a close quarter-finals match 21–17, 19–21, 16–21, narrowly missing out on a third consecutive World Championship medal.[69]
In October, playing at theDenmark Open, Sindhu reached her maiden Superseries tournament final, defeating three seeded players –Tai Tzu-ying,Wang Yihan andCarolina Marín. In the final, she lost to the defending championLi Xuerui in straight games 19–21, 12–21.[70] In November, the defending champion Sindhu won her third successive women's singles title at theMacau Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Japan'sMinatsu Mitani in the final 21–9, 21–23, 21–14.[71]
She suffered a stress fracture in 2015 that kept her from playing for nearly six months, yet managed to qualify for the2016 Rio Olympics.[72]
In January, Sindhu won theMalaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold women's singles title after beating Scotland'sKirsty Gilmour in the final.[73] She had also won this tournament in 2013. She lost a close match at theAsian Championships toTai Tzu-ying in the second round, in which she failed to capitalise on a match point and suffered defeat.[74] In the2016 Premier Badminton League, she was the captain of theChennai Smashers 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 againstMumbai Rockets.
Sindhu was seeded ninth at theRio Olympic Games. In the group stage, she defeated Hungary'sLaura Sárosi (2–0) and Canada'sMichelle Li (2–1).[75] She then ousted Taiwanese eighth seedTai Tzu-ying (2–0) in the round of 16[76] to meet the second seededWang Yihan from China in the quarter-finals, whom she also defeated in straight games.[77] She later faced sixth seeded Japanese starNozomi Okuhara in the semi-finals and won in straight games, ensuring a podium finish.[78] This set the stage for her final showdown with the top seed from Spain,Carolina Marín.[79] Marin managed to beat her in three games in the 83-minute match.[80] 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.[81]
Following her Olympic success, Sindhu clinched the title at theChina Open beating China'sSun Yu 21–11, 17–21, 21–11. With this win, she became the second Indian player afterSaina Nehwal and just the third non-Chinese women's singles player to win the China Open.[82] She was also the runner-up at theHong Kong Open after going down toTai Tzu-ying in the final in straight games.[83] With her consistent performances, she qualified for theSuperseries Finals.[84][85] She defeatedAkane Yamaguchi (2–1), lost toSun Yu (0–2) and beatCarolina 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 bySung Ji-hyun, going down 15–21, 21–18, 15–21.[86] Sindhu was named as theBWF Most Improved Player of the Year following her achievements in 2016.[87]
Sindhu won theSyed Modi International by beating Indonesian youngsterGregoria Mariska Tunjung in the final.[88] In theIndia Open Superseries, she won the title by defeatingCarolina Marín in straight games.[89] In April 2017, she achieved a career-high world ranking of number 2. At the2017 World Championships held in Scotland, she was seeded fourth. In the round of 32, she defeated KoreanKim Hyo-min in straight games. She survived a difficult challenge from HongkongerCheung Ngan Yi in the next round, beating her in 3 close games 19–21, 23–21, 21–17. She thereafter eased pastSun Yu in the quarter-finals and another ChineseChen Yufei in the semi-finals, both in straight games.[90] She had to settle for silver after losing toNozomi Okuhara 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.[91]
Sindhu defeated Okuhara in the final of the2017 Korea Open Super Series 22–20, 11–21, 21–18, thereby becoming the first Indian to win theKorea Open.[92] In August, she took charge as the Deputy Collector inKrishna District in the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) office under the Revenue Department of the Government ofAndhra Pradesh.[93] She set up a repeat clash of the previous year's final at theHongkong Open, which she again lost toTai Tzu-ying in straight games.[94] Owing to her consistent performances, she qualified yet again for theSuperseries Finals, and was also nominated for theBWF Female Player of the Year Award, which was eventually won byChen Qingchen of China.[95] In the group stage of theDubai World Superseries Finals, she won all of her matches againstHe Bingjiao (2–1),Sayaka Sato (2–0) andAkane Yamaguchi (2–0) to progress to the semi-final. In the semi-final, she defeated China'sChen Yufei (2–0) to reach the final.[96] She finished as the runner-up after being narrowly beaten by Japan'sAkane Yamaguchi 21–15, 12–21, 19–21 in an exciting 94-minute final.[97]
Sindhu faltered in the final again, this time at her home event, theIndia Open, where she had a match point in the third game but was unable to convert it and lost the match narrowly toBeiwen Zhang.[98] At theAll England Open Championships, she made it to the last four, before losing to world number 3Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-final with a close 21–19, 19–21, 18–21 scoreline. This was her best performance at theAll England Open.[99] She competed at the2018 Commonwealth Games inGold Coast, winning a gold medal in the mixed team event[100] and a silver medal in the singles event.[101] Her jinx of losing in finals continued after she went down toNozomi Okuhara in the final of theThailand Open.[102]
Sindhu was seeded third in the2018 BWF World Championships. She won her opening encounters againstFitriani and ninth seedSung Ji-hyun, both in straight games. She then faced defending championNozomi Okuhara, whom she also defeated with a 21–17, 21–19 scoreline.[103] In the semi-finals, she beat second-seededAkane Yamaguchi in 2 games 21–16, 24–22.[104] She won her second consecutive World Championship silver medal after losing toCarolina Marín in the final 19–21, 10–21. This was her fourth medal at the World Championships in total.[105]
Sindhu was seeded third in the2018 Asian Games. In the first round, she defeated VietnameseVũ Thị Trang in 3 games 21–10, 12–21, 23–21 in a very close encounter. She then facedGregoria Mariska Tunjung and beat her with a 21–12, 21–15 scoreline. She then had to battle to get past ThaiNitchaon Jindapol in the quarter-finals in three games. In the semi-finals, she defeated second seedAkane Yamaguchi to enter the final round. Though she lost to top seedTai Tzu-ying in the final, she won a historic first silver medal for India in badminton.[106]
Sindhu qualified for the2018 BWF World Tour Finals at the end of the year. In the group stage, she defeated defending championAkane Yamaguchi (2–0), top seedTai Tzu-ying (2–1) and USA'sBeiwen Zhang (2–0) to progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, she defeated Thailand'sRatchanok Intanon (2–0) to reach her second consecutive final at the tournament.[107] In the final, she defeated her arch-rivalNozomi Okuhara 21–19, 21–17, becoming the only shuttler from India to claim the title at the year-end finale.[108]
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Sindhu was bought by the defending championsHyderabad Hunters in the 2018 PBL auctions and was named as their skipper.[109] They lost in the semi-finals toMumbai Rockets.[110] Sindhu competed at theIndian National Championships where she reached the final, losing to three-time championSaina Nehwal 18–21, 15–21.[111] Just before theAll England Championships, she had ended her deal with Yonex and signed a mega-deal with Li-Ning for 4 years worth nearly₹50 crore (US$5.9 million). 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 prestigiousAll England Badminton Championships.[112] She reached her first final of the season in theIndonesia Open, where she lost toAkane Yamaguchi of Japan 15–21, 16–21.[113]
At the2019 World Championships, Sindhu was seeded fifth. She opened her campaign with comfortable straight-game victories overPai Yu-po and ninth seedBeiwen Zhang in successive rounds. She impressed everyone with her victory over second seedTai Tzu-ying in the quarter-finals. 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.[114] In the semi-final, she defeated third seedChen Yufei in straight games in dominating fashion, 21–7, 21–14, to enter her third consecutive World Championships final.[115] In the final againstNozomi Okuhara, 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.[116]
Despite her ranking as 15th on the World Tour, Sindhu got a wild card entry into the2019 BWF World Tour Finals because of her World Championship victory in August.[117] She competed in the World Tour Finals in Guangzhou as the defending champion but failed to reach the knockout phase after losing toChen Yufei (1–2) andAkane Yamaguchi (1–2) in successive rounds. She finished off as third in the group after defeatingHe Bingjiao 21–19, 21–19 in her last match.[118] She was named theBBC Indian Sportswoman of Year on 8 March 2020.[119] 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.[120]
Sindhu, reaching her first final in over 18 months at the2021 Swiss Open, suffered a demoralising defeat againstCarolina Marín, losing 12–21, 5–21.[121] She was then stunned byPornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the semi-final of theAll England Open, losing out 17–21, 9–21.[122] 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.[123]
Sindhu was seeded sixth at theTokyo Olympic Games. She won both of her group matches against Israel'sKsenia Polikarpova[124] and Hong Kong'sCheung Ngan Yi[125] to progress towards the knockout stage. She defeated Denmark'sMia Blichfeldt comfortably in the round of 16 and reached the quarter-finals.[126] She put up a dominating display to outmanoeuvre fourth seedAkane Yamaguchi 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.[127] Her opponent for the semi-final was second seedTai 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.[128] She later beat eighth seedHe 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.[129]
At the2021 BWF World Championships, where she competed as the defending champion, Sindhu was seeded sixth. She eased past Slovakia'sMartina Repiská in her opening encounter in straight games. She then defeated ninth seedPornpawee Chochuwong 21–14, 21–18 in another straight-game encounter to make the quarter-finals.[130] However, in the quarter-finals, she went down to top seedTai Tzu-ying 17–21, 13–21, failing to medal at the World Championships for only the second time in her career.[131]
Sindhu qualified for the2021 BWF World Tour Finals at the end of the year. In the group stage, she beatLine Christophersen (2–0),Yvonne Li (2–0) and lost toPornpawee Chochuwong (1–2), qualifying for the semi-finals as second in her group. In the semi-final, she beatAkane Yamaguchi 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'sAn Se-young to bag a second silver medal at the tournament.[132]
Sindhu won theSyed Modi International for the second time beating compatriotMalvika Bansod in the final.[133] She then won the title at the2022 Swiss Open, defeating Thailand'sBusanan Ongbamrungphan in the final in two straight games.[134] At theAsian Championships, where she was seeded fourth, Sindhu defeated fifth seedHe Bingjiao of China in the quarter-finals,[135] but lost a close and controversial semi-final to top seedAkane Yamaguchi,[136] thus winning the bronze medal, her second medal at the tournament.[137] She then won theSingapore Open title, beating Asian ChampionWang Zhiyi of China in the final.[138]
At the2022 Commonwealth Games, Sindhu won her maidenCommonwealth Games gold medal in thewomen's singles, beatingMichelle Li 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.[139] She was also unbeaten in themixed team event, where India won a silver medal.[140] However, during the Games, she sustained a left foot stress fracture injury that kept her out of all remaining tournaments of the year, including theWorld Championships[141] and theWorld Tour Finals.[142]
Sindhu made a return from her injury layoff in the first tournament of 2023, theMalaysia Open.[143] In February, she was part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal at theBadminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, India's first-ever medal at the tournament.[144] She reached her first final of the season at the2023 Spain Masters, where she lost toGregoria Mariska Tunjung in straight games.[145] She endured an up-and-down season, with four semi-finals but also seven first-round exits.[146] Her season was once again cut short, this time at theFrench Open in October, where she pulled out of her second round match with a knee injury.[147]
Sindhu returned from her injury layoff at theBadminton Asia Team Championships in February, where she led the Indian women's team to the gold medal, India's first-ever medal in the event.[148] Her first individual final of the season came at the2024 Malaysia Masters, where she lost to reigning Asian ChampionWang Zhiyi in three games.[149] On 8 July 2024, theIndian Olympic Committee designated her and the professionaltable tennis playerSharath Kamal as the flag bearers to theParís 2024 Olympic Games.[150] In the2024 Olympics in Paris, Sindhu won both her games in group M but lost in the round of 16 toHe Bingjiao of China, the same player she had beaten in the 2020 Games bronze medal match.[151] At the end of the year, Sindhu won the2024 Syed Modi International title beating Wu Luoyu of China in the final.[152] This was her third title at theSyed Modi International, making her the joint-most successful player in the history of the tournament.[153]
In 2025, Sindhu for the third time was elected as BWF Athletes' Commission.[154]
An Economic Times report published in March 2017 noted that she is second only to Indian cricket captainVirat Kohli when it comes to earnings from each day of brand endorsements. Sindhu charges brands anywhere between₹1 crore (US$120,000) and₹1.25 crore (US$150,000) for a single day of endorsement related activities.[155]
She has endorsement deals withJBL,Bridgestone Tyres, sports drinkGatorade, pain reliever ointment Moov, online fashion storeMyntra, e-commerce portalFlipkart, phone makerNokia and electronics majorPanasonic. She also endorsesStayfree, health drink Boost, honey producer APIS Himalaya, herbal health drink firm Ojasvita and theBank of Baroda. She is also a brand ambassador for both theCentral Reserve Police Force and Vizag Steel.[156]
In February 2019, it was announced that Sindhu had signed a four-year sports sponsorship deal for₹50 crore (US$5.9 million) with Chinese sports brandLi Ning. Her deal is one of the biggest in world badminton.[157][158] She would reportedly get₹40 crore (US$4.7 million) 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₹1.25 crore (equivalent to₹2.0 crore or US$240,000 in 2023) a year. In 2016, she was back with Yonex for a₹3.5 crore (equivalent to₹5.0 crore or US$600,000 in 2023) per year contract for a period of three years.[159]
In May 2024, she stepped in as an investor and brand ambassador for wellness brand Hoop.[160]
Rewards for winning the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics
Rewards for winning the gold medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships
Rewards for winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Riocentro – Pavilion 4,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Carolina Marín | 21–19, 12–21, 15–21 |  Silver | [9] |
| 2020 | Musashino Forest Sport Plaza,Tokyo, Japan |  He Bingjiao | 21–13, 21–15 |  Bronze | [11] |
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tianhe Stadium,Guangzhou, China |  Ratchanok Intanon | 10–21, 13–21 |  Bronze | [58] |
| 2014 | Ballerup Super Arena,Copenhagen, Denmark | Carolina Marín | 17–21, 15–21 | Bronze | [65] |
| 2017 | Emirates Arena,Glasgow, Scotland |  Nozomi Okuhara | 19–21, 22–20, 20–22 |  Silver | [91] |
| 2018 | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park,Nanjing, China | Carolina Marín | 19–21, 10–21 | Silver | [105] |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle,Basel, Switzerland | Nozomi Okuhara | 21–7, 21–7 |  Gold | [116] |
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Emirates Arena,Glasgow, Scotland |  Tee Jing Yi | 23–21, 21–9 | Bronze | [63] |
| 2018 | Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre,Gold Coast, Australia |  Saina Nehwal | 18–21, 21–23 | Silver | [101] |
| 2022 | National Exhibition Centre,Birmingham, England |  Michelle Li | 21–15, 21–13 | Gold | [139] |
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno,Jakarta, Indonesia |  Tai Tzu-ying | 13–21, 16–21 | Silver | [106] |
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gimcheon Indoor Stadium,Gimcheon, South Korea | Wang Shixian | 21–15, 20–22, 12–21 | Bronze | [62] |
| 2022 | Muntinlupa Sports Complex,Metro Manila, Philippines | Akane Yamaguchi | 21–13, 19–21, 16–21 | Bronze | [136] |
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Multipurpose Hall SAI–SAG Centre,Shillong, India | Gadde Ruthvika Shivani | 11–21, 20–22 | Silver | [200] |
Girls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | National Sports Centre,Douglas, Isle of Man | Soniia Cheah Su Ya | 22–20, 21–8 | Gold | [42] |
Girls' Singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium,Lucknow, India | Sun Yu | 21–13, 12–21, 10–21 | Bronze | |
| 2012 | Gimcheon Indoor Stadium,Gimcheon, South Korea | Nozomi Okuhara | 18–21, 21–17, 22–20 | Gold | [47] |
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[201] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by theBadminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[202]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | India Open | Super 500 |  Beiwen Zhang | 18–21, 21–11, 20–22 |  Runner-up | [98] |
| 2018 | Thailand Open | Super 500 | Nozomi Okuhara | 15–21, 18–21 | Runner-up | [102] |
| 2018 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Nozomi Okuhara | 21–19, 21–17 |  Winner | [108] |
| 2019 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Akane Yamaguchi | 15–21, 16–21 | Runner-up | [113] |
| 2021 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Carolina Marín | 12–21, 5–21 | Runner-up | [121] |
| 2021 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals |  An Se-young | 16–21, 12–21 | Runner-up | [132] |
| 2022 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Malvika Bansod | 21–13, 21–16 | Winner | [133] |
| 2022 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Busanan Ongbamrungphan | 21–16, 21–8 | Winner | [134] |
| 2022 | Singapore Open | Super 500 | Wang Zhiyi | 21–9, 11–21, 21–15 | Winner | [138] |
| 2023 | Spain Masters | Super 300 |  Gregoria Mariska Tunjung | 8–21, 8–21 | Runner-up | [145] |
| 2024 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Wang Zhiyi | 21–16, 5–21, 16–21 | Runner-up | [149] |
| 2024 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Wu Luoyu | 21–14, 21–16 | Winner | [152] |
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[203] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by theBadminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels wereSuperseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[204] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.[citation needed]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Denmark Open | Li Xuerui | 19–21, 12–21 | Runner-up | [70] |
| 2016 | China Open | Sun Yu | 21–11, 17–21, 21–11 | Winner | [82] |
| 2016 | Hong Kong Open | Tai Tzu-ying | 15–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | [83] |
| 2017 | India Open | Carolina Marín | 21–19, 21–16 | Winner | [89] |
| 2017 | Korea Open | Nozomi Okuhara | 22–20, 11–21, 21–18 | Winner | [92] |
| 2017 | Hong Kong Open | Tai Tzu-ying | 18–21, 18–21 | Runner-up | [94] |
| 2017 | Dubai World Superseries Finals | Akane Yamaguchi | 21–15, 12–21, 19–21 | Runner-up | [97] |
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, theGrand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by theBadminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.[205]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dutch Open |  Yao Jie | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | [43] |
| 2012 | India Grand Prix Gold | Lindaweni Fanetri | 15–21, 21–18, 18–21 | Runner-up | [52] |
| 2013 | Malaysia Grand Prix Gold |  Gu Juan | 21–17, 17–21, 21–19 | Winner | [55] |
| 2013 | Macau Open | Michelle Li | 21–15, 21–12 | Winner | [60] |
| 2014 | India Grand Prix Gold | Saina Nehwal | 14–21, 17–21 | Runner-up | [61] |
| 2014 | Macau Open | Kim Hyo-min | 21–12, 21–17 | Winner | [66] |
| 2015 | Macau Open | Minatsu Mitani | 21–9, 21–23, 21–14 | Winner | [71] |
| 2016 | Malaysia Masters |  Kirsty Gilmour | 21–15, 21–9 | Winner | [73] |
| 2017 | Syed Modi International | Gregoria Mariska Tunjung | 21–13, 21–14 | Winner | [88] |
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Iran Fajr International | Rie Eto | 14–21, 24–26 | Runner-up | [38] |
| 2011 | Maldives International | P. C. Thulasi | 21–11, 21–16 | Winner | [40] |
| 2011 | Indonesia International | Fransisca Ratnasari | 21–16, 21–11 | Winner | [41] |
| 2011 | Swiss International |  Carola Bott | 21–11, 21–11 | Winner | [44] |
| 2011 | Tata Open India International | Sayali Gokhale | 21–10, 20–22, 21–11 | Winner | [46] |
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Copenhagen Masters |  Line Kjærsfeldt | 12–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
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| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | G | S | B | NH | N/A | DNQ |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | Best | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWF Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Junior Championships | 2R | QF | 3R | A | N/A | 0/3 | QF ('10) | [39][45] | ||||||||||||
| World Championships | A | NH | B | B | QF | NH | S | S | G | NH | QF | w/d | 2R | NH | QF | 1/9 | G ('19) | [58][65][69][91][105][116][131][146] | ||
| Olympics | NH | DNQ | NH | S | NH | B | NH | 2R | NH | 0/3 | S ('16) | [9][11][151] | ||||||||
| Other Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Commonwealth Games | NH | A | NH | B | NH | S | NH | G | NH | 1/3 | G ('22) | [63][101][139] | ||||||||
| Asian Games | NH | A | NH | 2R | NH | S | NH | QF | NH | 0/3 | S ('18) | [106][146] | ||||||||
| Asian Championships | A | QF | B | QF | 2R | QF | QF | QF | NH | B | QF | 2R | 2R | 0/11 | B ('14, '22) | [53][62][67][74][136] | ||||
| BWF Superseries /Grand Prix | BWF World Tour | |||||||||||||||||||
| Malaysia Open | A | Q1 | 1R | 2R | A | QF | 1R | SF | 2R | NH | QF | 1R | A | 0/9 | SF ('18) | [146][207] | ||||
| India Open | Q2 | 2R | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | A | QF | W | F | SF | NH | SF | 1R | A | QF | 1/13 | W ('17) | [89][98][146][208][209] | |
| Indonesia Masters | A | QF | A | N/A | QF | QF | 2R | SF | QF | A | 1R | 0/7 | SF ('21) | [210] | ||||||
| German Open | A | 1R | A | QF | A | A | NH | 2R | A | 0/3 | QF ('16) | [211][212] | ||||||||
| All England Open | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 0/13 | SF ('18, '21) | [99][122][146] | ||
| Swiss Open | A | 1R | 2R | SF | A | QF | A | NH | F | W | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1/9 | W ('22) | [121][134][146] | ||||
| Spain Masters | NH | A | NH | F | QF | NH | 0/2 | F ('23) | [145] | |||||||||||
| Taipei Open | A | 2R | A | NH | A | w/d | A | 0/1 | 2R ('15) | [213] | ||||||||||
| Thailand Open | A | 2R | A | F | w/d | 1R | NH | SF | 1R | A | 0/6 | F ('18) | [102][146] | |||||||
| QF | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Malaysia Masters | A | SF | W | A | SF | W | A | w/d | A | QF | NH | QF | SF | F | 1R | 2/9 | W ('13, '16) | [55][73][146][149] | ||
| Singapore Open | A | 1R | A | QF | A | 2R | QF | A | SF | NH | W | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1/9 | W ('22) | [138][146] | |||
| Indonesia Open | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | QF | F | NH | SF | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0/11 | F ('19) | [113][146] | ||
| U.S. Open | A | NH | QF | A | 0/1 | QF ('23) | [146] | |||||||||||||
| Canada Open | NH | A | NH | A | SF | A | 0/1 | SF ('23) | [146] | |||||||||||
| Japan Open | A | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | QF | NH | w/d | 1R | A | 1R | 0/8 | QF ('19) | [146] | |||
| China Open | A | Q2 | 1R | A | 2R | W | QF | QF | 2R | NH | A | 2R | 1/8 | W ('16) | [82][214] | |||||
| Macau Open | A | W | W | W | A | NH | N/A | A | 3/3 | W ('13, '14, '15) | [60][66][71] | |||||||||
| Vietnam Open | A | QF | A | NH | A | 0/1 | QF ('11) | [215] | ||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Open | A | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | F | F | 2R | 2R | NH | A | 1R | 0/10 | F ('16, '17) | [83][94][216] | ||||
| China Masters | A | SF | A | QF | A | QF | 1R | NH | A | 2R | QF | 0/6 | SF ('12) | [49] | ||||||
| Korea Open | A | Q2 | 2R | A | 2R | A | W | A | 1R | NH | SF | 1R | A | 1/7 | W ('17) | [92][146][217] | ||||
| Arctic Open | A | NH | A | NH | SF | 1R | 0/2 | SF ('23) | [146] | |||||||||||
| Denmark Open | A | 1R | QF | F | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | QF | A | SF | QF | 0/10 | F ('15) | [70][146][218] | ||||
| French Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | NH | SF | A | 2R | QF | 0/10 | SF ('17, '21) | [147] | ||||
| Japan Masters | NH | A | 2R | 0/1 | 2R ('24) | |||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | A | 2R | NH | A | QF | A | 0/6 | QF ('14, '17, '23) | [146] | ||||||
| Syed Modi International | QF | SF | 2R | F | NH | F | SF | 2R | W | w/d | A | NH | W | A | W | 3/10 | W ('17, '22, '24) | [52][61][88][133][219][220][221] | ||
| Superseries / World Tour Finals | DNQ | SF | F | W | RR | RR | F | w/d | DNQ | 1/6 | W ('18) | [86][97][108][118][132] | ||||||||
| Year-end ranking | 255 | 151 | 31 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 2 | [7][8][54] | ||
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | Best | Ref |
Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 31 July 2025.[222]
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| Olympic Games | ||
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| Preceded by | Flagbearer for India (withSharath Kamal) París 2024 | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Gold medalists |
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Silver medalists | |
Bronze medalists | |
| Academy | |||||||
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| Venues | |||||||
| Team | |||||||
| Notable players |
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| Tournaments |
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| List | |||||||
| See also | |||||||
‡ Former players | |||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
