Chennai: P .V. Sindhu might be in the top 10 list of the Forbes’ highest-paid women athletes, but the Indian badminton star doesn’t really know how much she has been paid for an endorsement. “My parents take care of everything. So, I don’t have to keep track of it,” said Sindhu, whose total earnings of $8.5 million put her along with the likes of Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in the 2018 Forbes list.
For someone who earns in millions, her indulgence is simple. Sindhu’s father, P.V. Ramana, says the Hyderabad girl splurges on manicures. “She loves painting her nails. Nail artists come home every other day. Apart from that, she enjoys briyani and wants us to take her to movies whenever she is free. She enjoys these small things. As parents, we don’t have to make much effort to fulfill her wishes,” said Ramana, a former India volleyball player.
As the talk veered towards her Olympic gold quest, Sindhu said 2019 would be a crucial year. “Qualification starts in April, but before that, there are a couple of Super Series tournaments. So, I would like to go step by step. It’s not going to be easy. I want to be as fit as possible. Everyone’s aiming to make it to the 2020 Olympics. When I lost in 5-6 finals last year, I was a bit upset, but I came back stronger. You have to learn from mistakes and move on,” she said.
Sindhu’s coach Gopichand recently said that India’s drought at the All England Championships could well end at the forthcoming edition in March. But Sindhu feels it’s not going to be easy even though her nemesis Carolina Marin has been ruled out with an injury. “Marin’s absence is not going to make it any easy. There are other strong players from China and Japan. The current top 10 is of the same standard. You can’t go into a tournament, thinking it’s going to be easy,” she added.
Sindhu confirmed that she would be playing at the upcoming national badminton championship in Guwahati. “With Saina and me playing the nationals, it will help the youngsters. It’s a good opportunity for them,” she said.
