PV Sindhu 7th highest-paid female athlete of 2021: Forbes

Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu is placed seventh on the recently released - Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes. Sindhu is the only Indian athlete to make it to the Top 10 in this list.

The top Indian badminton player has a total earning of $7.2 million, out of which $0.2 million includes her on-field earnings and $7 million in her off-field earnings. Sindhu who is the only individual women's player to win two Olympics medals - a silver medal in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo 2020, has top sponsorship deals with major brands like Myntra, Bank of Baroda, Byjus, JBL, Li-Ning sportswear, etc.

Four-times Grand Slam champion and global tennis star Naomi Osaka has topped the Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes. Osaka, who has helped raise awareness about mental health issues in sports, has earned a total of $57.3 million through prize money and endorsements.

Following Osaka were fellow tennis players Serena Williams and sister Venus Williams with total earnings of $45.9 million and $11.3 million respectively.

American gymnast Simone Biles who like Osaka has been speaking out to raise awareness about mental health issues in sports was fourth on the list, earning $10.1 million. Following her Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza who earned $8.8 million to round out the top five.

Other athletes on the list include golfer Jin Young Ko ($7.5 million), tennis player Ashleigh Barty (6.9 million), golfer Nelly Korda (5.9 million) and basketball player Candace Parker (5.9 million).

Collectively, the 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a total of $166.6 million, which according to Forbes is a 23% increase over its 2020 list.