MUMBAI: Badminton star Saina Nehwal is in the Top 5 amongst the women athletes on ESPN’s ‘World Fame 100’ list for 2018.
Saina is 50th overall in ESPN’s ‘World Fame 100’ which is dominated by male superstars. But when it comes to women, Saina is the top-ranked Indian and ranked fourth after Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
Her resurgence after a career-threatening knee injury at the Rio Olympics 2016 has made her stock rise again, having endorsements worth $10 million and a social media following of 7.9 million people.
Sania Mirza, India’s top female tennis star comes second after Saina amongst Indian women and 12th in the world. Sania’s ability to break conventions apart from being ranked as the best WTA doubles player in the world for years made her enter the list.
She was named the United Nations Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia and, in 2016, was named in Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the world list. She also finds herself ranked 100th in the World Fame 100 as 12.5 million people follow her on social media and she earns $2 million in endorsements.
India’s top ranked woman badminton player PV Sindhu is 18th on the list. At the age of 22, her accolades in the sport have ensured that she is ranked only second behind Virat Kohli, when it comes to Indian athletes earning from endorsements.
However, a surprise addition in the list is another shuttler, Jwala Gutta. Gutta is ranked 25th on the list. She has had a 15-year long career in badminton and is amongst the stars of the doubles game. Her humanitarian work seems to be noticed by many, besides her ability to be vocal about issues that affect her and the game.
To compile its ranking, ESPN takes into account 100 top sportspersons of the world who are most likely to be searched on the internet via Google Trends (also known as search score), have a strong social media following and the amount they earn from endorsements (based on numbers taken from Forbes).
To compile its ranking, ESPN takes into account 100 top sportspersons of the world who are most likely to be searched on the internet via Google Trends (also known as search score), have a strong social media following and the amount they earn from endorsements (based on numbers taken from Forbes).
These numbers are compiled by ESPN’s Sports Analytics Group for athletes across 67 countries.
