Kidambi Srikanth has been raking up points, titles and money in 2017

Kidambi Srikanth gains are nearly three times more than the next highest-earning men’s singles player (Source: File)

Kidambi Srikanth’s sensational run during this year, where he grabbed a career-best ranking of World No 2, has not earned him points, titles but also seen his yearly prize money earnings increase to a massive Rs 1.54 crore. This will effectively see him end up as the top grosser amongst the men’s singles players in 2017. The Guntur-lad’s four Super Series wins helped him bag a sum of $230,423. Interestingly, his gains are nearly three times more than Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, who holds the second spot.

Speaking to the TOI, Srikanth said, “It is really a nice feeling. But I will focus on my game and the processes involved to become a top player and leave the business side to my management firm Baseline Ventures.”

Earlier, Srikanth had pulled out of the China Open Super Series due to a niggle. However, he will be back in action at the Hong Kong Super Series where he will have the opportunity to grab the No 1 ranking. Along with the likes of PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Srikanth has been one of the flagbearers of badminton’s rise in India. Acknowledging the fact, Srikanth had said, “Yes, Indian badminton is definitely on the rise. We have been training very hard for the last three-four years and it is definitely showing now. And if we can really continue working hard we can get much better results in the coming days for sure.”