Men have for a long time dominated sports and the money that come with it. Women are, however, progressively demanding a place on the pitch and a respectable slice of the pie.
The result is a significant number of female athletes competing with men on the earnings chart.
According to Forbes, the top 10 highest paid female athletes in the world currently are:
Naomi Osaka – $51.1 million
Naomi Osaka is a professional tennis player from Japan. She is the reigning champion of the US Open and the Australian Open, and has won four Grand Slam titles.
She is also the first Asian player to be ranked No. 1 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Osaka earns most of her income from endorsements, having deals with brands like Nike, Mastercard, Nissan and Louis Vuitton.
Serena Williams – $41.3 million
Serena Williams is a legendary tennis player from the United States. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and 39 Grand Slam titles overall, including doubles and mixed doubles.
She is also a four-time Olympic gold medalist and a former world No. 1. She has lucrative partnerships with Nike, Gatorade, Beats by Dre, and many others.
Venus Williams – $12.1 million
The older sister of Serena Williams, Venus Williams is another iconic tennis player from the United States.
She has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles with Serena, and four Olympic gold medals.
Venus is also a successful entrepreneur, having launched her own clothing line, EleVen, and invested in several businesses.
Emma Raducanu – $18.7 million
Emma Raducanu is a rising tennis star from the United Kingdom. She made history by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2021, at the age of 18.
She also reached the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier that year, earning her a huge fan base and media attention. She has signed deals with Nike, Tiffany & Co, DAZN and others.
Iga Świątek – $14.9 million
Iga Świątek is a young tennis sensation from Poland. She won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2020, becoming the first Polish player to do so.
She also won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She has endorsement contracts with Asics, Lotto, Rolex, and more1.
Coco Gauff – $11.1 million
Coco Gauff is another prodigy in the tennis world from the United States.
She burst onto the scene by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019 at the age of 15. She has since won three WTA singles titles and one doubles title, and has been ranked as high as No. 14 in the world. She has deals with New Balance, Head, Barilla and others.
Simone Biles – $10.1 million
Simone Biles is a gymnastics superstar from the United States. She is regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, having won 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, including seven Olympic medals and 19 World Championship gold medals.
Biles is also a vocal advocate for mental health and survivors of abuse. She has sponsorships with Athleta, Visa, Uber Eats, and more.
Garbiñe Muguruza – $8.8 million
Garbiñe Muguruza is a Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player who has won two Grand Slam singles titles at the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017.
She has also reached the final of the Australian Open twice, in 2020 and 2021. She is currently ranked No. 5 in the world by the WTA. She has endorsement deals with Adidas, Rolex, Evian and more.
Jessica Pegula – $7.6 million
Jessica Pegula is an American tennis player who had a breakthrough year in 2021. She reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, where she upset two top-10 players, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova.
She also won her second WTA singles title at Charleston and reached the final of Dubai. She is sponsored by Asics, Yonex, BodyArmor and more.
Candace Parker – $5.7 million
Candace Parker is a basketball legend from the United States who plays for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She has won two WNBA championships, one with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016 and one with the Sky in 2021.
Parker has also won two Olympic gold medals and two NCAA titles with Tennessee. She is a trailblazer for women’s basketball, becoming the first woman to grace the cover of NBA 2K22. She has endorsement deals with Adidas, Gatorade and AT&T.
