PV Sindhu-Venkata Datta Sai wedding: India's badminton star reveals why she wanted to marry after Paris Olympics

India's two-time Olympic medal-winning badminton PV Sindhu embarked on a new journey as the 29-year-old tied the knot with Venkata Datta Sai in an intimate wedding ceremony on December 22 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Although the marriage was kept secret, the first pictures of the newly-wed emerged online when Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared a photograph of the two.

Having won a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago, Sindhu has been a flagbearer of Indian badminton for close to a decade and inspires numerous budding shuttlers who chose badminton as a career.

Speaking after the wedding for the first time, Sindhu revealed she was missing “stability” in her life, which is why she decided to get married in 2024 after the Paris Olympics.

“For me, marriage meant stability—the kind of stability that would help me perform better,” Sindhu was quoted as saying to HT. 

"Competing at the highest level is incredibly demanding, and having that sense of security and support is so important. I was super excited! This new phase of life felt so special," added Sindhu.

Her husband, Datta Sai, also echoed the views of his newlywed wife.  

"For Sindhu, the timing felt right. After the Olympics, she wanted to settle down, find stability, and then focus on the next chapter of her journey. We both knew this was the right step because it wasn’t just about the moment—it was about building a future together," Datta Sai said.

How PV Sindhu fared at Paris Olympics?

Unlike in her previous two Olympic campaigns, Sindhu was eliminated in the round of 16 in Paris. She started with a win over Estonian Kristin Kubba and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq in the group stage before facing He Bing Jiao in the knockouts. Sindhu lost 19-21, 14-21.

Notably, Sindhu's only title in 2024 came at the Syed Modi International when she defeated Chinese Wu Luo Yu in the final.