PV Sindhu: The Lone Indian Name on Forbes’ 2024 List of Highest-Paid Female Athletes
In a groundbreaking achievement for Indian sports, Forbes has revealed its 2024 list of the highest-paid female athletes, marking a significant milestone as 11 women crossed the $10 million earnings threshold for the first time. The collective earnings of the top 20 female athletes amounted to over $258 million (approximately Rs 2,000 crore), a notable figure, but still dwarfed by the $2.23 billion earned by their male counterparts. Women athletes earned $191 million from endorsements, while their male peers earned $624 million. The real gap, however, is seen in on-field earnings, such as salaries and prize money.
At the top of the list is 20-year-old tennis sensation Coco Gauff, whose earnings reached $34.4 million (around Rs 293 crore). This impressive sum includes $9.4 million in tournament winnings and a massive $25 million from endorsements. Gauff’s standout victories include titles like the China Open and the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Other notable athletes in the rankings include tennis stars Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, and freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
Among these global names, Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu also made her mark, securing the 17th spot on the list with earnings of $7.1 million (approximately Rs 60 crore). However, Sindhu’s on-field earnings, totaling just $0.1 million (around Rs 85 lakh), reflect the relatively low pay scale of badminton in India. The lion’s share of her income, $7 million (about Rs 59 crore), comes from endorsement deals, highlighting her marketing power despite the sport’s limited prize money.
Sindhu’s endorsement portfolio is impressive, with high-profile brands such as Spinny, Maybelline, Bank of Baroda, and Bridgestone India. She commands endorsement fees ranging from Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 2.25 crore per contract, and in 2019, she secured a Rs 50 crore deal with the Chinese sports company Li Ning. Apart from her financial success, Sindhu is a two-time Olympic medalist, a three-time World Championship gold medalist, and a Commonwealth Games champion. She also led the Indian women’s team to its first-ever title at the Badminton Asia Team Championships earlier this year.
In her personal life, Sindhu recently married Venkata Datta Sai, an Executive Director at Posidex Technologies, in a ceremony held on December 22, 2024
