Srikanth Kidambi: ICU, Career & Net Worth
If you’re familiar with badminton, you must have heard the name of Srikanth Kidambi.
Srikanth Kidami is an Indian Badminton player who was also ranked number 1 at the BWF Rankings.
The badminton ace also became the first Indian to win the men’s title at the Super Series Premier event.
Kidambi started playing badminton at an early age with his brother. His brother K. Nandagopal is also a badminton player.
Moreover, Srikanth is currently eyeing the Tokyo Olympics, which got postponed due to the pandemic.
Let’s shuttle along the article to know more about the Indian Badminton ace, Srikanth.
QUICK FACTS:
Here are some quick facts about Srikanth Kadambi to get you started.
| Name | Kidambi Srikanth Nammalwar |
| Nickname | Sri |
| Birth Date | 7 February 1993 |
| Age | 31 Years Old |
| Birth Place | Ravulapalem, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Unknown |
| Profession | Badminton Player |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Father’s Name | Kittu Kidambi |
| Mother’s Name | Radha |
| Siblings | 1; Nandagopal Kidambi (elder brother) |
| Cousin | Ruthvika Shivani (younger sister) |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend | None |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight | 160 lbs |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Measurements | Chest – 38 inches, Waist – 30 inches, Biceps – 13 inches |
| Hobbies | Traveling |
| International Debut | 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games |
| Awards | 1x Gold 2018 Commonwealth Games, 1x Silver 2018 Commonwealth Games, 1x Bronze 2016 Asia Team Championship, 1x Bronze 2020 Asia Team Championship, 2x Gold 2016 SAG, 1x Gold 2019 SAG |
| Current Ranking | 14 |
| Highest Ranking | 1 (April 2018) |
| Career Record | 243 wins. 130 losses |
| Languages | Telegu, English, and Hindi |
| Favorite Cuisine | South Indian |
| Favorite Actor | Salman Khan |
| Favorite Movie | Bahubali |
| Idol | Pullela Gopichand |
| Active Years | 2011 – Present |
| Net Worth | $1 Million – $5 Million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Badminton Equipment | Racket, Net, Shuttlecock |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
To jump high for that perfect shuttle hit, one must be tall. Srikanth stands tall at 5 feet 10 inches and weighs around 160 lbs.
Moreover, he has a lean yet athletic body figure. His chest measures 38 inches, while his waist measures 30 inches.
In addition to that, he has a biceps size of 13 inches.
Srikanth’s hair color is black. Similarly, his eye color is also black.
Childhood, Parents, and Early Career
The former badminton number 1 was born on 7 February 1993 in Ravulapalem, Andhra Pradesh, India.
His father, KVS Krishna, is a landlord, while his mother takes care of the household.
He grew up with a sibling, an elder brother named K. Nandagopal, who is also a badminton player.
Actually, Srikanth started playing badminton after watching his elder brother. The municipality stadium was a couple of minutes’ walk from their house.
So, during the age of 8, Kidambi gave a try to badminton. What started as a mere hobby turned into his passion.
In addition to that, Srikanth and his brother were then admitted to the Pullela Gopichand Academy.
Srikanth Kidambi: Relationships and Girlfriend
An Indian badminton ace is a shy person in public.
When Srikanth was asked about his reaction to receiving attention from the opposite genders, Srikanth blames his beard and adds, “Which girl will see me if I am sporting a beard like this?”
He, however, does have few crushes on actresses but denied naming them.
He happens to be fully focused on the game and even adds that Badminton takes all his time.
As such, Srikanth has no girlfriend and has no immediate plans of settling down.
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Srikanth Kidambi: Career
Kidambi started playing badminton at the early age of 8 under the influence of his brother.
Before training at the Pullela Gopichand Academy, Srikanth trained under Sudhakar Reddy in Vaizag.
Under Pullela Gopichand, Srikanth was encouraged to play singles instead of doubles.
Debut
Kidambi stepped inside the court officially in the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man.
He won silver in mixed doubles and then won bronze in doubles.
Senior Career
Srikanth then went on to claim men’s single title at Maldives International Challenge in 2012.
Moreover, he defeated the then Junior World Champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli.
Srikanth then won the men’s singles at the Thailand Open Grand Prix event by winning against Boonsak Ponsana.
The Indian ace caused a shock by defeating the two-time Olympic Champion Lin Dan in the China Open final.
The champion also became the first Indian to win a Super Series Premier Men’s title.
In addition to that, Kidambi also became the first Indian male to ensure gold at the 2015 Swiss Open Grand Prix event. He defeated Viktor Axelsen.
The same year, Kidambi also won the India Open Super Series by defeating Viktor Axelsen once again in the final.
Rise to the top
Coming into the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kidambi had already secured World Number 11.
He entered round 16 by defeating Lino and Henri Hurskainen.
Surprisingly, Kidambi also defeated World Number 5, Jørgensen, and advanced to the quarterfinals.
He, however, was defeated by his rival, Lin Dan, in the quarters.
His stardom was on the rise as Srikanth won four Super Series titles in a year and closed in on the world number one spot.
The two Indian duos, Kidambi and Sai Praneeth, also created history when they became the first Indian pair to advanced to the finals of a ranking event in Badminton.
Srikanth finally clinched his number 1 spot when he won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the mixed team event.
In addition to that, he also won a silver in the singles event.
Winning mindset
Moreover, Kidambi also represented India at the 2018 South Asian Games held in Pokhara, Nepal.
He secured the gold in the team event.
However, Kidambi was held back by a series of injuries and has struggled to play consistently.
His chance of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics looked difficult with poor performances, let alone winning gold at the event.
However, due to COVID and halting of badminton, Srikanth has been able to re-establish himself and finally gain his strength to qualify for the Olympics.
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Rivalries
Srikanth has collected many rivals while reaching the top of the BWF Rankings.
Srikanth Kidambi vs. Lin Dan
One of the most talked-about rivalries in Men’s Badminton is the rivalry of Kidambi and Lin Dan.
These two have met in 5 matches where Srikanth has come out victorious in 2 matches.
Srikanth Kidambi vs. Parupalli Kashyap
The two Indians have played four games against each other.
The duo shares the wins with a tie of 2-2.
Srikanth Kidambi vs. Viktor Axelsen
These two are the most sought-after players in the Badminton world.
In addition to that, they have played 9 matches against each other. However, Srikanth has only won 3 games.
Srikanth Kidambi: Injuries and ICU
The former World Number 1 got held back by knee and ankle injuries.
But something serious happened to Srikanth that could have ended his life.
In 2014, Kidambi was found unconscious in the academy’s bathroom. Srikanth was diagnosed with brain fever.
Moreover, he was admitted to the ICU for a couple of days. After a week in the hospital, and Srikanth was back to normal.
He actually went on to play at the Commonwealth Games two weeks after.
In addition to that, knee injuries forced him out of the court in 2017. He missed China Open and Korean Open.
Although Srikanth was back on the court, minor injuries on his ankle kept affecting his performance.
“I was getting injured and then coming back and training for a week or two and then playing a tournament, and then I’m pushing too much at tournaments and injuring myself again,” Srikanth added.
With his deteriorating performances, Kidambi was doubtful to even qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
However, the incoming COVID-19 forced badminton into a break, allowing Srikanth to work on his fitness and become physically fit.
Awards and Achievements
Well, reaching the Number 1 rankings comes with great hurdles. It, however, rewards too.
Srikanth was awarded at the 2015 Open Grand Prix Gold, where he defeated Viktor Axelsen.
He received a huge sum of $6000.
Moreover, he won the 2017 Australian Super Series against Chen Long and received another $6000.
Similarly, he also received $6000 on multiple series like the 2015 Indian Super Series and the 2017 Indonesia Super Series Premier.
His highest appraisal came in when Kidambi received Padma Shri from India’s President on 21st March 2018.
Padma Shri is India’s fourth-highest civilian award.
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Net Worth
Srikanth is considered one of the most wealthy badminton players in the world.
Well, his estimated net worth is around $1 million to $5 million.
A list released by the BWF shows Kidambi with earnings of $149,797.50 (Rs 98.2 lakh approx) in 2017.
Moreover, he won these sums of money in Australia and Indonesia, with prize money of $56,250 and $75,000.
Srikanth Kidambi: Some Unknown Facts
Kidambi is a very hardworking individual. He believed hard work mixed with a dash of talent brings out the best in him.
As such, Kidambi puts in 6-8 hours of practice every day.
Moreover, Srikanth is a dog person. He likes dogs more than cats.
His goal has always been winning gold at the Olympics. Srikanth hasn’t achieved this feat but has an eye at the Tokyo Olympics.
When asked about whether he is a tea or a coffee person, Srikanth answered with a picture of him drinking Red Bull.
That energy drink surely has massive effects on him. Srikanth has a record shuttle speed of 410 km/hr. Imagine the shuttle coming at you at that speed!
Srikanth Kidambi: Social Media
The Indian player has a huge fan following on Instagram and has a follower of over 139k.
Srikanth also joined Twitter in April 2013. In addition to that, Srikanth has 1.1 million followers on his Twitter.
Similarly, Srikanth also has a Facebook account and has over 226k followers.
FAQs:
Is Srikanth Kidambi right handed?
Yes, Srikanth plays badminton with his right hand.
Will Srikanth Kidambi play at Tokyo Olympics?
Looking at his comments and positive attitude towards the game, Kidambi has a great chance of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.
Who has played the most games against Srikanth Kidambi?
Srikanth has played the most games against Kento Momota. They have faced each other on 15 occasions where Srikanth has won only 3 games.
