# P. V. Sindhu

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born 5 July 1995), popularly known as PV Sindhu, is an Indian badminton player. Considered as one of India's most successful athletes, Sindhu has won medals at tournaments such as the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and on the World 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. 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 only 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 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's Carolina Marín. She made her second consecutive Olympic appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 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 and India. She also won the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals and remains the only Indian player to win a season finale title. She is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and has won three consecutive singles medals at the Commonwealth Games, a silver medal at the Asian Games, and two bronze medals at the Uber 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 the Forbes' list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. She is a recipient of the sports honours Arjuna Award and Khel Ratna Award, as well as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, India's third-highest and fourth-highest civilian awards.

## Early life and training

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born on 5 July 1995, in Hyderabad, India, into the Telugu-speaking family of P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya. Both her parents hail from Andhra Pradesh. Her mother is from Vijayawada, while her father's family is originally from Eluru and later moved to Guntur and Nirmal, where he was born. Sindhu lives in Hyderabad. She and her family regularly visit their family deity in Ratnalammakunta village of Eluru district, Andhra Pradesh. She was educated at Auxilium High School, Hyderabad, and at St. Ann's College for Women, Hyderabad.
Both her parents have been national level volleyball players. Her father, Ramana, was a member of the Indian volleyball team that won the bronze medal in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, received the Arjuna Award in 2000 for his contribution to the sport. Though her parents played professional volleyball, she chose badminton over it because she drew inspiration from the success of Pullela Gopichand, the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion. She eventually started playing badminton 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. 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. 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. She is currently coached by Anup Sridhar and Lee Hyun-il.

## Career
### 2009–11

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. At the 2010 Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge, she won the silver medal in the women's singles. She reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships 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 of Malaysia in straight games. She was a finalist at the Dutch Open 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 of Germany in the final. She lost in the second round of the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships 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 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 in the final 18–21, 21–17, 22–20, becoming India's first-ever Asian Junior Champion. In the China Masters Superseries tournament, she stunned London 2012 Olympics gold medalist Li Xuerui, 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. 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 in December, after going down to Indonesia's Lindaweni Fanetri 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 quarter-final, but lost to Eriko Hirose 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 - 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 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 of China, 21–18, 23–21 to enter the quarter-finals. 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's bronze medal in 1983. However, she lost in the semi-final to eventual champion Ratchanok Intanon.
Sindhu was awarded the Arjuna Award by the Government of India in recognition of her achievements. In the 2013 Indian Badminton League, she was the captain of the team Awadhe Warriors. Her team qualified for the semi-final, where they beat Mumbai Marathas, but lost in the final to Hyderabad Hotshots. She won the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold title by defeating Canada's Michelle Li 21–15, 21–12 in the final.

### 2014

Sindhu reached the final of the 2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold but lost to her senior compatriot Saina Nehwal. She claimed her first medal at the Asian Championships, a bronze, after beating Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the quarter-finals. She reached the semi-final stage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the women's singles competition, which she lost narrowly to eventual gold medalist Michelle Li of Canada. She later won against Malaysian Tee Jing Yi 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 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 quarter-finals 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 of South Korea in the final.

### 2015

Sindhu was on the verge of victory against Li Xuerui in the quarter-finals 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 Kjærsfeldt of Denmark in the first round after being a game down. She then stunned third seeded Li Xuerui in the round of 16 and reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships once again. However, this time, she suffered defeat against her Korean opponent Sung Ji-hyun in a close quarter-finals 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 and Carolina Marín. In the final, she lost to the defending champion Li Xuerui 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 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.

### 2016

In January, Sindhu won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold women's singles title after beating Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour 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, she was the captain of the Chennai 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 against Mumbai Rockets.
Sindhu was seeded ninth at the Rio Olympic Games. In the group stage, she defeated Hungary's Laura Sárosi (2–0) and Canada's Michelle Li (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 from China in the quarter-finals, whom she also defeated in straight games. She later faced sixth seeded Japanese star Nozomi Okuhara 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 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 and just the third non-Chinese women's singles player to win the China Open. She was also the runner-up at the Hong Kong 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 (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, 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 Indonesian youngster Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the final. In the India Open Superseries, she won the title by defeating Carolina Marín 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 in straight games. She survived a difficult challenge from Hongkonger Cheung Ngan Yi in the next round, beating her in 3 close games 19–21, 23–21, 21–17. She thereafter eased past Sun Yu in the quarter-finals and another Chinese Chen Yufei in the semi-finals, both in straight games. She had to settle for silver after losing to Nozomi 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.
Sindhu defeated Okuhara in the final of the 2017 Korea Open Super Series 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 in the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) office under the Revenue Department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. 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 (2–0) and Akane Yamaguchi (2–0) to progress to the semi-final. In the semi-final, she defeated China's Chen Yufei (2–0) to reach the final. She finished as the runner-up after being narrowly beaten by Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 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, 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, she made it to the last four, before losing to world number 3 Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-final with a close 21–19, 19–21, 18–21 scoreline. This was her best performance at the All England Open. She competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, 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 in the final of the Thailand Open.
Sindhu was seeded third in the 2018 BWF World Championships. She won her opening encounters against Fitriani and ninth seed Sung Ji-hyun, both in straight games. She then faced defending champion Nozomi Okuhara, whom she also defeated with a 21–17, 21–19 scoreline. In the semi-finals, she beat second-seeded Akane Yamaguchi 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. In the first round, she defeated Vietnamese Vũ Thị Trang in 3 games 21–10, 12–21, 23–21 in a very close encounter. She then faced Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and beat her with a 21–12, 21–15 scoreline. She then had to battle to get past Thai Nitchaon Jindapol in the quarter-finals in three games. In the semi-finals, she defeated second seed Akane Yamaguchi 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 at the end of the year. In the group stage, she defeated defending champion Akane Yamaguchi (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-finals, 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 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. Sindhu competed at the Indian National Championships where she reached the final, losing to three-time champion Saina Nehwal 18–21, 15–21. Just before the All 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$5.7 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 prestigious All England Badminton Championships. She reached her first final of the season in the Indonesia Open, where she lost to Akane Yamaguchi 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 and ninth seed Beiwen Zhang in successive rounds. She impressed everyone with her victory over second seed Tai 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. In the semi-final, she defeated third seed Chen Yufei in straight games in dominating fashion, 21–7, 21–14, to enter her third consecutive World Championships final. In the final against Nozomi 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.
Despite her ranking as 15th on the World Tour, Sindhu got a wild card entry into the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals because of her World Championship victory in August. 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 (1–2) and Akane Yamaguchi (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 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 of Thailand in the semi-final of the All England Open, 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. She won both of her group matches against Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova and Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi to progress towards the knockout stage. She defeated Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt comfortably in the round of 16 and reached the quarter-finals. She put up a dominating display to outmanoeuvre fourth seed Akane 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. 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, where she competed as the defending champion, Sindhu was seeded sixth. She eased past Slovakia's Martina Repiská in her opening encounter in straight games. She then defeated ninth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong 21–14, 21–18 in another straight-game encounter to make the quarter-finals. However, in the quarter-finals, 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 at the end of the year. In the group stage, she beat Line Christophersen (2–0), Yvonne Li (2–0) and lost to Pornpawee Chochuwong (1–2), qualifying for the semi-finals as second in her group. In the semi-final, she beat Akane 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's An Se-young to bag a second silver medal at the tournament.

### 2022–23

Sindhu won the Syed Modi International for the second time beating compatriot Malvika Bansod in the final. She then won the title at the 2022 Swiss Open, defeating Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the final in two straight games. At the Asian Championships, where she was seeded fourth, Sindhu defeated fifth seed He Bingjiao of China in the quarter-finals, but lost a close and controversial semi-final to top seed Akane Yamaguchi, 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, Sindhu won her maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's singles, beating Michelle 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. 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.
Sindhu made a return from her injury layoff in the first tournament of 2023, the Malaysia Open. In February, she was part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, India's first-ever medal at the tournament. She reached her first final of the season at the 2023 Spain Masters, where she lost to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in straight games. She endured an up-and-down season, with four semi-finals but also seven first-round exits. Her season was once again cut short, this time at the French Open in October, where she pulled out of her second round match with a knee injury.

### 2024

Sindhu returned from her injury layoff at the Badminton 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. Her first individual final of the season came at the 2024 Malaysia Masters, where she lost to reigning Asian Champion Wang Zhiyi in three games. On 8 July 2024, the Indian Olympic Committee designated her and the professional table tennis player Sharath Kamal as the flag bearers to the París 2024 Olympic Games. In the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Sindhu won both her games in group M but lost in the round of 16 to He Bingjiao of China, the same player she had beaten in the 2020 Games bronze medal match. At the end of the year, Sindhu won the 2024 Syed Modi International title beating Wu Luoyu of China in the final. This was her third title at the Syed Modi International, making her the joint-most successful player in the history of the tournament.

## Endorsements

An Economic Times report published in March 2017 noted that she is second only to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli when it comes to earnings from each day of brand endorsements. Sindhu charges brands anywhere between ₹1 crore (US$110,000) and ₹1.25 crore (US$140,000) for a single day of endorsement related activities.
She has endorsement deals with JBL, Bridgestone Tyres, sports drink Gatorade, pain reliever ointment Moov, online fashion store Myntra, e-commerce portal Flipkart, phone maker Nokia and electronics major Panasonic. She also endorses Stayfree, 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 and Vizag Steel.
In February 2019, it was announced that Sindhu had signed a four-year sports sponsorship deal for ₹50 crore (US$5.7 million) with Chinese sports brand Li Ning. Her deal is one of the biggest in world badminton. She would reportedly get ₹40 crore (US$4.6 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$230,000 in 2023) a year. In 2016, she was back with Yonex for a ₹3.5 crore (equivalent to ₹5.0 crore or US$580,000 in 2023) per year contract for a period of three years.
In May 2024, she stepped in as an investor and brand ambassador for wellness brand Hoop.

## Achievements
### Olympic Games

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 | |
| 2020 | Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Tokyo, Japan | He Bingjiao | 21–13, 21–15 | Bronze | |

### World Championships

Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China | Ratchanok Intanon | 10–21, 13–21 | Bronze |
| 2014 | Ballerup Super Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark | Carolina Marín | 17–21, 15–21 | Bronze |
| 2017 | Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland | Nozomi Okuhara | 19–21, 22–20, 20–22 | Silver |
| 2018 | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park, Nanjing, China | Carolina Marín | 19–21, 10–21 | Silver |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Nozomi Okuhara | 21–7, 21–7 | Gold |

### Commonwealth Games

Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2014 | Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland | Tee Jing Yi | 23–21, 21–9 | Bronze |
| 2018 | Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre, Gold Coast, Australia | Saina Nehwal | 18–21, 21–23 | Silver |
| 2022 | National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England | Michelle Li | 21–15, 21–13 | Gold |

### Asian Games

Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia | Tai Tzu-ying | 13–21, 16–21 | Silver | |

### Asian Championships

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 | |
| 2022 | Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Metro Manila, Philippines | Akane Yamaguchi | 21–13, 19–21, 16–21 | Bronze | |

### South Asian Games

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 | |

### Commonwealth Youth Games

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 | |

### Asian Junior Championships

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 | |

### BWF World Tour (5 titles, 7 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 (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.
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | India Open | Super 500 | Beiwen Zhang | 18–21, 21–11, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Thailand Open | Super 500 | Nozomi Okuhara | 15–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Nozomi Okuhara | 21–19, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2019 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Akane Yamaguchi | 15–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Carolina Marín | 12–21, 5–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | An Se-young | 16–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Malvika Bansod | 21–13, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2022 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Busanan Ongbamrungphan | 21–16, 21–8 | Winner |
| 2022 | Singapore Open | Super 500 | Wang Zhiyi | 21–9, 11–21, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2023 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | Gregoria Mariska Tunjung | 8–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Wang Zhiyi | 21–16, 5–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Wu Luoyu | 21–14, 21–16 | Winner |

### 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 (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
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Denmark Open | Li Xuerui | 19–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | China Open | Sun Yu | 21–11, 17–21, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2016 | Hong Kong Open | Tai Tzu-ying | 15–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | India Open | Carolina Marín | 21–19, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2017 | Korea Open | Nozomi Okuhara | 22–20, 11–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2017 | Hong Kong Open | Tai Tzu-ying | 18–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Dubai World Superseries Finals | Akane Yamaguchi | 21–15, 12–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Superseries Finals tournament
    BWF Superseries Premier tournament
    BWF Superseries 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 (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Dutch Open | Yao Jie | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | India Grand Prix Gold | Lindaweni Fanetri | 15–21, 21–18, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Malaysia Grand Prix Gold | Gu Juan | 21–17, 17–21, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2013 | Macau Open | Michelle Li | 21–15, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2014 | India Grand Prix Gold | Saina Nehwal | 14–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Macau Open | Kim Hyo-min | 21–12, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2015 | Macau Open | Minatsu Mitani | 21–9, 21–23, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2016 | Malaysia Masters | Kirsty Gilmour | 21–15, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2017 | Syed Modi International | Gregoria Mariska Tunjung | 21–13, 21–14 | Winner |
    BWF Grand Prix tournament
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2010 | Iran Fajr International | Rie Eto | 14–21, 24–26 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Maldives International | P. C. Thulasi | 21–11, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2011 | Indonesia International | Fransisca Ratnasari | 21–16, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2011 | Swiss International | Carola Bott | 21–11, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2011 | Tata Open India International | Sayali Gokhale | 21–10, 20–22, 21–11 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament

### Invitational tournament

Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2015 | Copenhagen Masters | Line Kjærsfeldt | 12–21, 19–21 | Runner-up | |

## Career overview

| Singles | Played | Wins | Losses | Balance |
| Total | 631 | 440 | 191 | +249 |
| Current year (2024) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doubles | Played | Wins | Losses | Balance |
| Total | 24 | 14 | 10 | +4 |
| Current year (2024) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mixed | Played | Wins | Losses | Balance |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Current year (2024) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
    * Statistics were last updated on 6 January 2024.

## Performance timeline
### Key

| 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 | A | A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0/3 | QF ('10) | |
| World Championships | A | A | A | NH | B | B | QF | NH | S | S | G | NH | QF | w/d | 2R | NH | | 1/8 | G ('19) | |
| Olympics | NH | NH | NH | DNQ | NH | NH | NH | S | NH | NH | NH | B | NH | NH | NH | 2R | NH | 0/3 | S ('16) | |
| Other Events |||||||||||||||||||||
| Commonwealth Games | NH | A | NH | NH | NH | B | NH | NH | NH | S | NH | NH | NH | G | NH | NH | NH | 1/3 | G ('22) | |
| Asian Games | NH | A | NH | NH | NH | 2R | NH | NH | NH | S | NH | NH | NH | QF | NH | NH | NH | 0/3 | S ('18) | |
| Asian Championships | A | A | A | A | QF | B | QF | 2R | QF | QF | QF | NH | NH | B | QF | 2R | | 0/10 | B ('14, '22) | |
| BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour |
| Malaysia Open | A | A | A | Q1 | 1R | 2R | A | QF | 1R | SF | 2R | NH | NH | QF | 1R | A | A | 0/9 | SF ('18) | |
| India Open | Q2 | 2R | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | A | QF | W | F | SF | NH | NH | SF | 1R | A | QF | 1/13 | W ('17) | |
| Indonesia Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | N/A | QF | QF | 2R | SF | QF | A | A | 1R | 0/7 | SF ('21) | |
| German Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | NH | NH | 2R | A | A | A | 0/3 | QF ('16) | |
| All England Open | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 0/13 | SF ('18, '21) | |
| Swiss Open | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | SF | A | QF | A | A | A | NH | F | W | 2R | 2R | Q | 1/8 | W ('22) | |
| Spain Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | NH | F | QF | NH | 0/2 | F ('23) | |
| Thailand Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | F | w/d | 1R | NH | SF | 1R | A | | 0/6 | F ('18) | |
| Thailand Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | F | w/d | QF | NH | SF | 1R | A | | 0/6 | F ('18) | |
| Malaysia Masters | A | A | A | SF | W | A | SF | W | A | w/d | A | QF | NH | QF | SF | F | | 2/8 | W ('13, '16) | |
| Singapore Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | QF | A | 2R | QF | A | SF | NH | NH | W | 1R | 2R | | 1/8 | W ('22) | |
| Indonesia Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | QF | F | NH | SF | 1R | 2R | 1R | | 0/10 | F ('19) | |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | A | 2R | NH | NH | A | QF | A | | 0/6 | QF ('14, '17, '23) | |
| U.S. Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | QF | A | | 0/1 | QF ('23) | |
| Canada Open | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | SF | A | | 0/1 | SF ('23) | |
| Japan Open | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | QF | NH | NH | w/d | 1R | A | | 0/7 | QF ('19) | |
| Korea Open | A | A | A | Q2 | 2R | A | 2R | A | W | A | 1R | NH | NH | SF | 1R | A | | 1/7 | W ('17) | |
| Taipei Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | w/d | | 0/1 | 2R ('15) | |
| Vietnam Open | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | 0/1 | QF ('11) | |
| Hong Kong Open | A | A | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | F | F | 2R | 2R | NH | NH | NH | A | A | | 0/9 | F ('16, '17) | |
| China Open | A | A | Q2 | 1R | A | A | 2R | W | QF | QF | 2R | NH | NH | NH | A | A | | 1/7 | W ('16) | |
| Macau Open | A | A | A | A | W | W | W | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | N/A | A | | 3/3 | W ('13, '14, '15) | |
| Arctic Open | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | SF | 1R | | 0/2 | SF ('23) | |
| Denmark Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | QF | F | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | QF | A | SF | QF | | 0/10 | F ('15) | |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | NH | SF | A | 2R | QF | | 0/10 | SF ('17, '21) | |
| Japan Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | 2R | | 0/1 | 2R ('24) | |
| China Masters | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A | QF | A | QF | 1R | NH | NH | NH | A | 2R | | 0/5 | SF ('12) | |
| Syed Modi International | QF | SF | 2R | F | NH | F | SF | 2R | W | w/d | A | NH | NH | W | A | W | | 3/10 | W ('17, '22, '24) | |
| Superseries / World Tour Finals | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | SF | F | W | RR | RR | F | w/d | DNQ | DNQ | | 1/6 | W ('18) | |
| Year-end ranking | 255 | 151 | 31 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 15 | | | 2 | |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | Best | Ref |

## Record against selected opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 17 December 2024.
| Players | Matches | Results | Results | Difference |
| Players | Matches | Won | Lost | Difference |
| Chen Yufei | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Han Yue | 8 | 7 | 1 | +6 |
| He Bingjiao | 21 | 9 | 12 | –3 |
| Li Xuerui | 7 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Wang Lin | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 |
| Wang Shixian | 10 | 4 | 6 | –2 |
| Wang Yihan | 7 | 3 | 4 | –1 |
| Wang Zhiyi | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Zhang Yiman | 5 | 2 | 3 | –1 |
| Tai Tzu-ying | 24 | 5 | 19 | –14 |
| Tine Baun | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 |
| Juliane Schenk | 2 | 0 | 2 | –2 |
| Yip Pui Yin | 4 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Players | Matches | Results | Results | Difference |
| Players | Matches | Won | Lost | Difference |
| Saina Nehwal | 4 | 1 | 3 | –2 |
| Lindaweni Fanetri | 10 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
| Gregoria Mariska Tunjung | 13 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
| Minatsu Mitani | 5 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Nozomi Okuhara | 19 | 10 | 9 | +1 |
| Akane Yamaguchi | 25 | 14 | 11 | +3 |
| Aya Ohori | 14 | 13 | 1 | +12 |
| An Se-young | 7 | 0 | 7 | –7 |
| Bae Yeon-ju | 5 | 1 | 4 | –3 |
| Sung Ji-hyun | 17 | 9 | 8 | +1 |
| Carolina Marín | 18 | 6 | 12 | –6 |
| Porntip Buranaprasertsuk | 10 | 6 | 4 | +2 |
| Ratchanok Intanon | 13 | 4 | 9 | –5 |

## Personal life

Sindhu got engaged to businessman Venkata Datta Sai in early December 2024 and got married on 22 December.
Sindhu has been employed with Bharat 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 of Bridgestone India. She was appointed as the Deputy Collector (Group-I) by the Andhra Pradesh government in July 2017, which she took charge later in August.

## Awards and recognition
### National

* Arjuna Award (2013)
* Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of India (2015)
* Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, 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 Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year 2014
* NDTV Indian of the Year (Sports) 2014
* BWF Most Improved Player of the Year 2016
* Indian Sports Honours Sportswoman of the Year 2017
* Forbes 30 Under 30: Entertainment & Sports 2018
* TV9 Nava Nakshatra Sanmanam 2019
* Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) Sportsperson of the Year 2019
* BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2020
* Champions of Change (Telangana) 2021
* NDTV True Legend: Future of Young India (Sports) 2022
Rewards for winning the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics
* ₹5 crore (equivalent to ₹7.2 crore or US$820,000 in 2023), and a land grant from the Government of Telangana.
* ₹3 crore (equivalent to ₹4.3 crore or US$490,000 in 2023), a Group A cadre job (Deputy Collector of Andhra Pradesh) and 1000 yd$^2$ land grant from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
* ₹2 crore (equivalent to ₹2.9 crore or US$330,000 in 2023) from the Government of Delhi.
* ₹75 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.1 crore or US$120,000 in 2023) from her employer, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, with promotion from assistant to deputy sports manager.
* ₹50 lakh (equivalent to ₹72 lakh or US$82,000 in 2023) from the Government of Haryana.
* ₹50 lakh (equivalent to ₹72 lakh or US$82,000 in 2023) from the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
* ₹50 lakh (equivalent to ₹72 lakh or US$82,000 in 2023) from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
* ₹50 lakh (equivalent to ₹72 lakh or US$82,000 in 2023) from Badminton Association of India.
* ₹50 lakh (equivalent to ₹72 lakh or US$82,000 in 2023) from NRI businessman, Mukkattu Sebastian.
* ₹30 lakh (equivalent to ₹43 lakh or US$49,000 in 2023) from the Indian Olympic Association.
* ₹5 lakh (equivalent to ₹7.2 lakh or US$8,200 in 2023) from All India Football Federation.
* ₹1 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.4 lakh or US$1,600 in 2023) from actor Salman Khan, for qualifying as an Olympic participant.
* BMW car from the Hyderabad District Badminton Association and Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
* Mahindra Thar from Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra.
* Two-acre land from actor Vijayachander.
* Diamond necklace worth ₹6 lakh (equivalent to ₹8.6 lakh or US$9,900 in 2023) from NAC Jewellers.
* Miniature gold and diamond badminton racquet memento from Kirtilals.
Rewards for winning the gold medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships
* ₹20 lakh (US$23,000) from the Badminton Association of India.
* ₹10 lakh (US$11,000) from the Government of India.
* ₹10 lakh (US$11,000) from the Government of Kerala.
* Land grant from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
* BMW car from actor Nagarjuna Akkineni and businessman V. Chamundeswaranath.
Rewards for winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
* ₹1 crore (US$110,000) from the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
* ₹1 crore (US$110,000) from BYJU'S.
* ₹50 lakh (US$57,000) from the Government of Telangana.
* ₹30 lakh (US$34,000) from the Government of India.
* ₹30 lakh (US$34,000) from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
* ₹25 lakh (US$29,000) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India
* ₹25 lakh (US$29,000) from the Indian Olympic Association.
* ₹15 lakh (US$17,000) from the JSW Group.