India's ace female badminton player PV Sindhu is the seventh 'highest-paid female athlete' for the year 2018. According to a list by Forbes, the Sindhu's total earning stands at 85 lakh dollars (Rs 60 crore approx). Serena Williams tops the list with eastimated earnings of 1.81 crore dollars.
“The Indian badminton player burst on the scene with a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She was the first Indian female athlete to win a silver. The 23-year-old has a robust sponsor roster with Bridgestone, Gatorade, Nokia, Panasonic, Reckitt Benckiser and a half-dozen other brands,” writes Forbes.
According to th report, the 23-year-old earns her money through badminton championships earning and endorsements. The Forbes article states that her prize money amounts to $500,000 (Rs 3.5 crore approx) while her earning form endorsements stand at $8 million (Rs 55.8 crore approx).
Sindhu and retired race car driver Danica Patrick ($7.5 million earnings) are the only non-tennis players to crack the top 10 of the list, filling up the seventh and ninth spots, respectively.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2018 by Forbes
1. Serena Williams — Total earnings: $18.1 million (Prize money: $62,000, Endorsements: $18 million)
2. Caroline Wozniacki — Total earnings: $13 million (Prize money: $7 million, Endorsements: $6 million)
3. Sloane Stephens — Total earnings: $11.2 million (Prize money: $5.7 million, Endorsements: $5.5 million)
4. Garbine Muguruza — Total earnings: $11 million (Prize money: $5.5 million, Endorsements: $5.5 million)
5. Maria Sharapova — Total earnings: $10.5 million (Prize money: $1 million, Endorsements: $9.5 million)
6. Venus Williams — Total earnings: $10.2 million (Prize money: $4.2 million, Endorsements: $6 million)
7. PV Sindhu — Total earnings: $8.5 million (Prize money: $500,000, Endorsements: $8 million)
8. Simona Halep — Total earnings: $7.7 million (Prize money: $6.2 million, Endorsements: $1.5 million)
9. Danica Patrick — Total earnings: $7.5 million (Salary/prize money: $3 million, Endorsements: $4.5 million)
10. Angelique Kerber — Total earnings: $7 million (Prize money: $3 million, Endorsements: $4 million)
Interestingly, not a single women ranked among the world's 100 highest-paid athletes, a list dominated by men.
