After her return from Rio, she received cash prizes from the different state governments and government institutions worth Rs 13 crore (130m rupees – about £1.4m), while, as a comparison, gold medallist Marin received Rs 70 lakh (7m rupees – about £77,500) from the Spanish government for her achievement.
Sindhu was also awarded land from the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana government and a luxury BMW car from the Hyderabad Badminton Association, presented by cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.
Since then, a host of companies have been queuing up to be associated with Sindhu, with her sponsorship value matching and surpassing that of many Indian cricketers, apart from captain Virat Kohli.
Those companies on Sindhu’s sponsor roster include Bridgestone Tyres, sports drink Gatorade, pain reliever ointment Moov, online fashion store Myntra, Nokia, Panasonic, 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.
“Her soaring popularity has attracted the attention of so many companies,” Mishra told The Times of India in 2016., external “Even after achieving stupendous success, her humility and the value she brings to women power is remarkable.”
Success off court has also followed success on court, with silver medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships and an individual silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, where she also helped her country to mixed team gold.