PV Sindhu ranked seventh in Forbes list of highest paid female sportspersons

New Delhi, Aug 23: Ace India shuttler PV Sindhu is placed seventh on the Forbes list of highest-earning women sportspersons in the world. The Rio Olympics silver medallist reportedly earned $8.5 million in between June 2017 and June 2018. The worth also includes her prize money and endorsement deals.

The list is topped by the US tennis legend Serena Williams while Sindhu left the current World No. 1 Simona Halep and Germany Angelique Kerber behind in the list. Halep won this year's French Open title while Kerber defeated Serena in the Wimbledon 2018 final.

"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," Forbes wrote.

As per reports, Sindhu's most of the earnings come endorsements as the prize money in badminton isn't at par with other sports. She earned $8 million from endorsements. The Hyderabadi shuttler is also the brand ambassador for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Vizag Steel.

Serena returned to tennis recently after giving birth to a daughter.The US tennis legend still managed to earn $18.062 million, with only $62,000 coming as prize money. She is followed on the list by fellow tennis players Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova and elder sister Venus.

American former professional racing driver Danica Patrick is the only other non-tennis player in the top 10, at No. 9, sandwiched between Halep and Kerber.

Meanwhile, Sindhu defeated Vietnam's Thi Trang Vu by 21-12, 10-21, 23-21 in Women's Singles Round of 32 Asian Games 2018 to advance to the pre-quarters in the ongoing Asian Games.