Srikanth Kidambi, an Indian badminton player, was honored with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 2018.
It seems like a slight difference between history made and created. The same depends upon sports type; usually, western countries are more forward than South Asian countries.
But sooner or later, changes are seemingly created. And here we have an Indian badminton player, Srikanth Kidambi, who made history at the International level.
After his Thomas cup victory in 2022, Kidambi hopes to win the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship and Sudirman Cup in 2023.
As a hobby, Kidambi was so much into directing movies, but later his passion for badminton made him raise his country’s flag at international levels.
Becoming the first Indian to reach on top of the world rankings, he has also participated in the Olympics.
Besides, Srikanth has achieved several prestigious awards and honors.
Get more about Srikanth Kidambi; we have more information from quick facts below.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi |
| Known As | Srikanth Kidambi |
| Nickname | Sri |
| Birth Date | 7th February 1993 |
| Birth Place | Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur region, India |
| Residence | Hyderabad, India |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | South Asian |
| Education | N/A |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Father’s Name | Kittu Kidambi |
| Mother’s Name | Radha Kidambi |
| Siblings | 1 (Nandagopal Kidambi) |
| Age | 31 Years Old |
| Height | 5’10″/178 cm/1.78 m |
| Weight | 65 kg/143 lb. |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Profession | Badminton Player |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Spouse | No |
| Children | No |
| Beginning Of Professional Career | 2011 |
| Retirement | No |
| Playing Style | Right-handed (One-Handed Backhand) |
| Sports team | National Team Member |
| Coach |
|
| Honors | Commonwealth Medal, Padma Award, Superseries titles, Arjuna Award(2015), CNN-IBN Indian Of The Year In Sports (2018) |
| Victory | Super Series Titles, Highest Ranked Badminton Player (2018), Indonesia Open Super Series Premier Title (2017), Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold (2015) |
| Net Worth | $1-$5 Million |
| Prize Money | N/A |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Early Life & Family
One of the finest badminton players, Srikanth Kidambi, celebrates his birthday on 7th February every year. He was born to Krishna Kidambi and Radha Kidambi in 1993 in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur region, India.
He belongs to Telugu speaking agricultural family of KVS and has an elder brother, K. Nandagopal Kidambi, who is also a badminton player.
Before badminton, Kidambi loved storytelling and films. So, his first dream was to become a director of Indian cinema.
Sri still dreams of directing movies after he retires from badminton.
Family
Even though Kidambi belongs to a typical Indian agricultural family with a stereotypical inclination to cricket as a sport, Kidambi’s father still encouraged his sons to join badminton instead.
In some instances, there were conflicts about choosing sports or academics, but as both brothers were interested in sports, their parents supported them to the fullest.
Significantly, Kidambi’s mother, Radha, influenced her sons, saying that whatever you decide to do in your life, whether it’s sports or academics, you must invest your 100%.
Career
Starting
After all, Srikanth’s brother Nandagopal made Srikant join the sport. It started after a new municipal stadium was established near their home in 2000.
Within the year, Nandagopal made it to the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and left for Visakhapatnam.
And later, Srikanth improved, and just in months, he acquainted his brother in Visakhapatnam.
Thus, for guiding him to a badminton career, Srikanth is forever grateful to his brother Nandagopal.
Real Involvement
As mentioned earlier, Srikanth was not so much into badminton during the initial days.
However, after joining the Gopichand Academy, he noticed every participant was serious about the matches.
Athletes were furiously devoting themselves to badminton. Thus, Srikanth realized why not give his best after coming so far and started training extensively, dominating the youth national circuit.
Accordingly, he started his career as a single, doubles, and mixed player. In the Commonwealth Youth Games organized at the Isle of Man in 2011, the former no. 1 won silver in the men’s doubles and bronze in mixed doubles.
At Pune’s All India Junior International Badminton Championship, he bagged gold in singles and doubles categories.
Glory
Indeed, it’s Pullela Gopichand, the Gopichand Academy owner, who saw a lack of focus and involvement in Srikanth.
As a trainer, Gopichand guided Kidambi to intensify his focus on the game, especially singles.
Srikanth learned his need to focus more on the lines and flanks than the center of the court.
Even though it took some time for adjustments, once he started winning singles, achievements came naturally to him.
Simultaneously, beginning in 2011, getting an international break, Srikanth earned his first singles and doubles title at the All India International Badminton Championships in Pune.
He collected his maiden singles title in the Maldives International Challenge a year later.
In 2013, defeating Parupali Kashyap, Srikanth procured his first-ever singles title at the Senior National Badminton Championships.
He finished runner-up at the Indian Grand Prix Gold in January 2014. However, Parupali Kashyap defeated him at the Shed Modi International in 2015.
Later after a year, he won the tournament and made up for that title.
Srikanth won two gold medals in Men’s Singles and Team at the South Asian Games in Guwahati in 2016.
In the same year, in Hyderabad, the Indian Men’s team had to settle for Bronze losing in the semi-final. On the contrary, he remained unbeaten at the Asian Team Championship.
In the 2019 South Asian Games, he clinched the gold medal in Men’s team in Kathmandu, Nepal.
But, in 2020, Kidambi and his team had to settle for Bronze at the Asian Team Championships in Manila.
He hopes to win again in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship and Sudirman Cup in 2023, following their historic victory in the Thomas Cup in 2022.
Rise & Shine
First Indian To Win Four Super Series Titles In A Year
Beating Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, Kidambi Srikanth became the first-ever Indian and only fourth male shuttle in history to win four Super Series titles in a calendar year.
Amazingly, he defeated Nishimoto 21-14, 21-13, then lifted the French Open Super Series titles.
The same year, Srikanth won the Denmark Open Series Premier, the Indonesia Super Series Premier, and the Australian Open Super Series.
Besides Srikanth, Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, and Chen Long have won men’s singles titles at four Super Series events.
Again in June 2017, he won back-to-back Super Series titles in Denmark, French, Indonesia, and Australia.
Before Srikanth, only Lee Chong Wei was the only player to achieve this feat.
Playing Style & Coach
Srikanth from Guntur has continuously carved his game of style at the age of 31.
His jump smashes are a treat to observe, making his amusement appealing.
However, what has improved and made strides in his characteristic energy is his capacity to earn points.
Before, Srikanth implied all of his power, but recently he specifically created attacking opportunities.
Like in the Denmark Open, the winner did not constantly attack but played with the opponent around, opened angles, and finally jumped and smashed.
Srikanth has been pointed out for his patience level and his talent.
With more calm and patience, he seems more focused on his shots and eager to kill the game. Relating more to deceptive shots, Srikanth was not so much into it.
Later after the arrival of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo, he confirmed that they mainly focused on his fitness and skills.
They were looking for longevity too. Despite being new to deceptive playing, he has started showing a flair for it.
Even chief national coach Pullela Gopichand insisted that young shuttlers like Srikanth are still on their way to reaching their potential.
After Handoyo, Kidambi was coached by Agus Dwi Santoso, a badminton coach from Indonesia, but he left in 2021.
Srikanth is currently seeking foreign badminton coach for the Paris Olympics qualification cycle.
Awards & Achievements
Commonwealth medal winner Srikanth and shuttlers like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu also attended a press conference in Hyderabad on 17 April 2018.
At the Padma Awards on 20 March 2018 function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind honored the Padma Shri to Kidambi Srikanth.
At the final of men’s singles of the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2019, Srikanth Kidambi bagged a silver opposing Victor Axelsen of Denmark in New Delhi.
Additionally, Srikanth WAS remarked as the only Indian to win four super series titles In A Year.
He also won his men’s final match against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto at the French Open badminton tournament in Paris.
Net Worth & Earnings
Srikanth Kidambi has continuously ranked among the top badminton players, ranking #19 as of this writing.
Therefore, he is one of the wealthiest badminton players in the world and has a net worth between $1- $5 million as of 2024.
In 2017, he was featured as No. 83 on the 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. Reportedly, he was signed for INR 31 lakhs ($37.9k) by the Awadhe Warriors.
He also became the highest-paid Indian male player after all Premier Badminton League teams signed him for 51 lakhs ($61.7k) for the 2017-18 season.
For the 2018-19 season, Bengaluru Raptors offered him INR 80 lakhs (around $967k).
Besides, Srikanth has benefited from long-standing endorsement deals like a 4-year/INR 35 crore ($4.2 million) deal with Chinese sports brand Li-Ning.
Kidambi also involves in charities as he is a part of Nandan Kamath’s Go Sports program.
The organization is set up by Nandan Kamath, a sports lawyer in Bangalore, which helps sportspersons who lack the resources to fulfill their dreams.
Social Media Presence
- Facebook: 247k followers
- Instagram: 170k followers
- Twitter: 1.1M followers
Srikantha is not much of a social person, but through his last Instagram post, we know he is not a coffee lover.
Search Graph
Srikanth’s graph illustrates the average mobility from Oct. to Jan. 2023.
The graph illustrates the search rate for the past 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Who is Srikanth Kidambi's wife?
Currently, Srikanth is not married to anyone as of this writing.
When did Srikanth start to play badminton?
Srikanth started to play just because his elder brother Nandagopal made him join the newly established sports academy near their house in 2000, where he began his training.
What is Srikanth's current ranking?
Srikanth Kidambi was ranked top badminton player in 2018. After that, he continued to be among the top players. And currently, he ranks in the 19th in world rankings.
Which badminton racket does Srikanth Kidambi use?
Srikanth Kidambi currently uses the Voltric Z Force II badminton racket.
Who is Srikanth Kidambi's new coach?
Agus Dwi Santoso was the coach of Srikanth Kidambi but he left in 2021. According to the sources, he is finding a new coach in 2023.
When was Srikanth Kidambi world no. 1?
Srikanth Kidambi was ranked as world number #1 at the BWF ranking on 12 April 2018.
What is Srikanth Kidambi career record?
Srikanth Kidambi has a professional record of 291 wins and 158 losses to date.
Why was Srikanth Kidambi not in the 2021 Olympics?
Kidambi Srikanth couldn't make it to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games because badminton's global governing body closed the Olympics qualifying tournaments earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
