New Delhi: India’s two-time Olympic medalist in badminton, PV Sindhu, began a new chapter in her life as she married Venkata Datta Sai in a private ceremony on December 22 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. While the wedding had been kept under wraps, the first pictures of the newlyweds surfaced online after Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, shared a photo of the couple.
Having won a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a silver at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Sindhu has been a flagbearer of Indian badminton for nearly a decade, inspiring countless aspiring shuttlers to pursue badminton as a career.
Speaking for the first time after her wedding, Sindhu revealed that she was missing “stability” in her life, which is why she decided to marry in 2024, after the Paris Olympics.
“For me, marriage meant stability—the kind of stability that would help me perform better,” Sindhu shared with *HT*. “Competing at the highest level is incredibly demanding, and having that sense of security and support is so important. I was super excited! This new phase of life felt so special,” she added.
Her husband, Datta Sai, echoed Sindhu’s sentiments. “For Sindhu, the timing felt right. After the Olympics, she wanted to settle down, find stability, and then focus on the next chapter of her journey. We both knew this was the right step because it wasn’t just about the moment—it was about building a future together,” Datta Sai explained.
Unlike her previous two Olympic campaigns, Sindhu was eliminated in the round of 16 at the Paris Olympics. She began with victories over Estonian Kristin Kubba and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq in the group stage, but lost to He Bing Jiao in the knockout round, with a score of 19-21, 14-21.
Notably, Sindhu’s only title in 2024 came at the Syed Modi International, where she defeated China’s Wu Luo Yu in the final.
