In this article, we are going to discuss about Famous Badminton Players of India. Here you will get all the interesting information about Indian Badminton Players.
Due to the cornucopia of talented players, India has a substantial advantage in badminton. India has produced a number of well-known badminton players throughout the times, important to the surprise and amazement of suckers around the nation. Every significant transnational badminton event, including the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, has featured Indian players who have placed on the tribune.
In India, badminton has seen significant growth since it was first played in 1934. To succeed in this sport, it’s necessary to have excellent delicacy, physical strength, and abidance. Athletes of all stripes with international recognition have competed for India throughout the years; these Indian badminton players have dominated the sport, broken innumerable records, and won medals.
Famous Badminton Players of India
Here is the list of Famous Badminton Players of India:
| Indian badminton players |
|---|
| Nandu Natekar |
| Prakash Padukone |
| Pullela Gopichand |
| Aparna Popat |
| Saina Nehwal |
| PV Sindhu |
| Lakshya Sen |
| Srikanth Kidambi |
| Ashwini Ponnappa |
1. Nandu Natekar: Famous Badminton Players of India
Nandu Natekar, known as the” God of Badminton,” was one of badminton’s most notable numbers. Over the course of his roughly 15-year career in badminton, he was able to capture over 100 public and transnational crowns. He became the first Indian to ever win a crown abroad in 1956 thanks to his control and operation of the game. As a badminton player, Nandu Natekar’s stylish time was 1961, when he won the first Arjuna award, which was established at that time, and was also chosen as India’s most popular sportsperson. He is one and only the most famous Badminton players of India.
2. Prakash Padukone: Famous Badminton Players of India
A magnificent legend of a grand game is Prakash Padukone. The first Indian to win the All England Championships was this elite badminton player from India. The former World No. 1 had won the gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in addition to the Danish Open and the Swedish Open by sheer guts, tenacity, and devotion.
The Indian government presented him with the Arjuna Award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982.
Prakash Padukone also received the Badminton Association of India’s (BAI) first Lifetime Achievement Award. He is one of the most famous Badminton Players of India.
3. Pullela Gopichand: Famous Badminton Players of India
Given his unmatched talent with a racquet, Pullela Gopichand was bound for success from the start. Since Gopichand was accustomed to success, he won his first national championship in 1996 and the following four consecutively after that. Gopichand was the Indian men’s badminton team’s captain, leading his side to a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. In the men’s singles competition at the same Games, this Andhra Pradesh hero also took home a bronze medal himself.
Gopichand, an Asian Championship bronze medallist, made history in 2001 by becoming just the second Indian male badminton player to win the prestigious All England Open championship. Gopichand’s victory required him to upset the top-ranked player in the world at the time, Peter Gade of Denmark, in the semifinals.
However, Gopichand’s career was marred by numerous knee surgeries and injuries, which compelled him to end it early. As Gopichand shifted his focus from playing to coaching, he started his attempts to transform Indian badminton. This development may have ended up being pretty beneficial for India. The Dronacharya Awardee founded the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, drew aspiring shuttlers there, and trained them to be the best. Many modern game legends, including Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, and Kidambi Srikanth to name a few, have graced the courts of the renowned Gopichand Academy.
4. Aparna Popat: Famous Badminton Players of India
Indian badminton player Aparna Popat is renowned for her prowess on the court. The number of National Senior Women’s Badminton titles she has now won consecutively is a record for her. A lot of international badminton competitions have seen her play well.
Aparna established herself as a significant player in the world of badminton by taking home a silver medal in the World Junior Badminton Championship. Again he won a silver medal, she did it at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games.
As the first Indian woman to win the French Open title in the same year, she created a new milestone. She won a bronze medal from the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and reached the semifinals of the Swedish Open Badminton Tournament.
5. Saina Nehwal: Famous Badminton Players of India
Saina Nehwal, a brave Haryanvi who embarked on an arduous mission to win glory for India in the quickest racquet sport in the world, was the badminton player who caused the nation to sit up and take proper note of the sport. Nehwal, who is renowned for her potent smashes and inspiring mental toughness, first gained notoriety on the junior circuit before going on to win the Philippines Open in 2006, a 4-star competition, a feat never before accomplished by an Indian.
In 2008, Saina Nehwal competed in her first Olympics in Beijing. She advanced as far as the quarterfinals before dropping just short of winning her first medal. The reign of Nehwal, however, was just getting started as in 2009, she dominated to win India’s first BWF Superseries title and in 2010, she added a gold medal from the Commonwealth Games to her collection.
When Nehwal won the bronze medal in badminton in London in 2012, she made Olympic history by being the first female badminton player from India to take home a medal in the sport. After defeating Tine Baun of Denmark, Nehwal was up against Wang Yihan of China in the semifinals. Despite the fact that she lost that contest, Wang Xin, another Chinese, would now be her opponent for the bronze medal.
On that particular day, the stars were in Nehwal’s favour since Xin, who suffered a serious injury in the middle of the match and had to stop, retired after winning the first game and the first point of the following. Saina Nehwal received a free pass and won the first badminton medal for India with a gleaming victory. She is one of the best and most Famous Badminton Players of India.
6. PV Sindhu: Famous Badminton Players of India
When Sindhu entered the BWF top 20 rankings at the age of 17, she attracted interest from all around the world. She won a medal at the Badminton World Championships for the first time in Indian Singles in 2013, making history. She received the Padma Shri award in 2015, and in 2016 she made Olympic history by being the youngest Indian and the first shuttler from her country to place on the podium in the Badminton final. She won the Korea Open for the first time in 2017 as an Indian.
Along with the Padma Shri, she has also been honoured with the Arjuna Award and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. She won gold in the mixed team competition and silver in the women’s singles category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She won a silver medal for the second time in a row at the 2018 World Championships. The 2019 World Championships saw Sindhu win gold for India for the first time. She is one of the most Famous Badminton Players of India.
Also Read: Best Badminton Player in India
7. Lakshya Sen: Famous Badminton Players of India
Lakshya Sen is regarded as India’s top singles badminton player right now. This exceptional player, who is 22 years old, is tenth in the world right now. He was outstanding in recent events, and he was born in Almora, Uttarakhand.
Sen took home a gold medal at the newest Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It is crucial to keep in mind that Sen, who is only 22 years old, has already achieved great achievements and has the ability to do even better in the future. He was a part of the Commonwealth Games team from 2022 that won both the Thomas Cup and the team competition to bring home silver and gold, respectively.
8. Srikanth Kidambi: Famous Badminton Players of India
This player from Andhra Pradesh deserves to be in the fifth spot on our list because he became the first male badminton player from India to win a BWF Super Series title in 2014 by winning the China Open. only the experienced professional Parupalli Kashyap could defeat her and become world No. 1 in the BFI rankings.
He received the Arjuna Award as well. He was the second Indian to accomplish so after Saina Nehwal. Kidambi, who overtook Lee Chong Wei, also received the most money in prizes in 2017.
He was hampered by a knee ailment, but in 2021 he resurrected his career by being the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the world championships in badminton.
9. Ashwini Ponnappa: Famous Badminton Players of India
A badminton player from south India, Ashwini Ponnappa Machimanda. In Indian badminton, she is the doubles champion.
She has won numerous medals at international competitions in pairs with Jwala Gutta. Together, the duo has won numerous medals at international competitions, including a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. The team has also won multiple bronze medals at the Asian Badminton Championships and the Uber Cup.
When the couple became the first badminton pair from India to win a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in 2011, they made history.
