Anup Sridhar: The Giant-Killer Who Became PV Sindhu’s Coach

Anup Sridhar spent over a decade as one of India’s most dangerous men’s singles players, known for a smash so powerful it was once recorded as the hardest in the sport. Years after retiring from competitive badminton, he found a new kind of spotlight — as the coach brought in to help two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu rebuild her career after the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Quick Facts About Anup Sridhar

Early Life and Playing Career

Anup Sridhar was born on 11 April 1983 in Bangalore, Karnataka. He studied at St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Jain University in Bangalore. He trained under some of Indian badminton’s most respected names — Prakash Padukone, U. Vimal Kumar, and Tom John — at the Padukone-run academy in Bangalore.

Sridhar rose through the national ranks to become India’s national champion in 2005 and 2006, and by 2007 he had established himself as India’s top-ranked player, eventually reaching a career-high world ranking of 24 in 2008. He is remembered as a powerful, attacking singles player who repeatedly punched above his ranking, defeating higher-ranked opponents including former world number one and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.

His best-known international results include a bronze medal with the Indian team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and a run to the fourth round of the 2007 BWF World Championships in Kuala Lumpur — where he beat Hidayat before eventually losing to Lin Dan, becoming only the third Indian, after Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, to advance that far at a World Championships. Sridhar also represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reaching the second round of the men’s singles draw, and later captained India’s Thomas Cup team.

In recognition of his achievements, the Government of India awarded him the Arjuna Award in 2007, one of the country’s highest sporting honours.

Transition to Coaching

After retiring from competitive play, Sridhar moved into coaching and academy work. In 2018, he founded the Anup Sridhar Badminton Academy, where he worked alongside former shuttler Vijay Lancy to develop young talent. He went on to coach rising men’s singles star Lakshya Sen, helping guide him through a period that included a Paris 2024 Olympic semifinal appearance, before Sridhar’s next high-profile assignment arrived.

Coaching PV Sindhu

In September 2024, following the end of Sindhu’s partnership with Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso after the Paris Olympics, PV Sindhu’s team brought in Sridhar as her new coach on a trial basis, alongside South Korean former world number one Lee Hyun-il, who joined as a consulting coach. Sindhu’s father and former Indian volleyball player, PV Ramana, confirmed the appointment, describing it as an experiment among several names being considered.

The pairing began training together at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Stadium before travelling for the European swing of the BWF World Tour, including the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open. Sindhu spoke publicly about the appointment, saying she was impressed by Sridhar’s understanding of Indian badminton and his strategic approach to the game.

The partnership produced tangible results relatively quickly: under Sridhar and Lee Hyun-il’s guidance, Sindhu won her first BWF World Tour title since July 2022 at the Syed Modi International in December 2024 — ending a title drought of more than two years.

Sridhar’s stint with Sindhu was always framed as a short-term arrangement, and it concluded around the end of the 2024 season. Early in January 2025, the Badminton Association of India brought in Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama — known for his work with men’s singles stars Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting — as Sindhu’s new women’s singles coach. Sridhar became the eighth coach in Sindhu’s career and the third Indian to hold the role, in a career that has seen her work with a long list of coaches, from her earliest mentor Mahboob Ali through to SM Arif, Pullela Gopichand, Kim Ji-hyun, Park Tae-sang, Vidhi Chaudhary, Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, and Agus Dwi Santoso.

Life After Sindhu — Singapore Badminton Association

Sridhar’s next move took his coaching career abroad. In January 2025, he signed a long-term deal with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) as its singles coach, working alongside South Korean chief coach Kim Ji-hyun. SBA officials pointed to the tactical depth Sridhar had built up over his time coaching both Sindhu and Lakshya Sen as the reason behind the appointment.

Major Achievements & Awards

• Arjuna Award — 2007, Government of India
• Career-high world ranking of 24 — 2008
• National Badminton Champion — 2005 and 2006
• Fourth round, BWF World Championships — Kuala Lumpur, 2007 (defeated Taufik Hidayat)
• Bronze medal, Commonwealth Games team event — Melbourne, 2006
• Represented India — 2008 Beijing Olympics, men’s singles
• Captain, India Thomas Cup team
• Coach — PV Sindhu’s Syed Modi International title, December 2024
• Singles Coach — Singapore Badminton Association, 2025–present

Anup Sridhar: Earnings & Career Value

Unlike many current-generation athletes, Sridhar’s playing-era earnings were largely modest by today’s standards, as prize money in Indian badminton grew substantially only after his career peak. His income today is understood to come primarily from coaching contracts and academy revenue rather than a single disclosed figure. No verified net-worth estimate for Anup Sridhar is available from reliable public sources, so we have not included one below.

Personal Life

Anup Sridhar has generally kept his personal life out of the public eye, and there is no consistently verified public record of his family details. What is well documented is his continued involvement in the sport: since retiring from competition, he has remained close to badminton through his academy, his coaching assignments, and public commentary on the growth of the game in India, including speaking about the boost Indian badminton received from stars like Saina Nehwal in the years after his own playing career.

Frequently Asked Questions About Anup Sridhar

1. Who is Anup Sridhar?

Anup Sridhar is a retired Indian badminton player who represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and reached a career-high world ranking of 24. He later became a coach, working with Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu before joining the Singapore Badminton Association.

2. Did Anup Sridhar coach PV Sindhu?

Yes. Sridhar coached Sindhu from September to December 2024, on a trial basis, helping her win the Syed Modi International title in December 2024 — her first BWF World Tour title in over two years. The arrangement ended after the 2024 season, when the Badminton Association of India appointed a new women’s singles coach.

3. What is Anup Sridhar’s biggest achievement as a player?

His standout result came at the 2007 BWF World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, where he defeated former world number one Taufik Hidayat to reach the fourth round — becoming only the third Indian in history to do so at that stage of a World Championship.

4. What is Anup Sridhar doing now?

Since January 2025, Sridhar has served as the singles coach of the Singapore Badminton Association, working alongside chief coach Kim Ji-hyun, after his short-term coaching stint with PV Sindhu concluded.

5. Did Anup Sridhar win an Olympic medal?

No. Sridhar represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but did not win a medal, exiting in the second round of the men’s singles draw.

Also See — More Sports Personalities on KnowledzeHub

• PV Sindhu — India’s greatest badminton player and two-time Olympic medallist from Hyderabad
• Lakshya Sen — India’s rising men’s singles star and Paris 2024 Olympic semifinalist
• Pullela Gopichand — Former All England champion and India’s chief national badminton coach