By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday December 18, 2024
Tennis players continue to dominate Forbes annual list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world.
Seven of the Top 10 and 11 of the Top 20 on Forbes list, which was released on December 18, are WTA Players, including cream of this year’s crop Coco Gauff, who surpassed $30 million in earnings to become the third female athlete in history to record over $30 million in a single year.
Naomi Osaka, who hit $57.4 million in earnings in 2021, and Serena Williams, who topped out with $45.9 million in the same year, are the other two.
Gauff racked up 34.4 million in total earnings, including 25 million from her thriving endorsement portfolio, which includes deals with New Balance, Barilla, Ray-Ban, Meta, Beats by Dre and recent additions hair-care brand Carol’s Daugher, Fanatics and Naked Juice.
Gauff passed 2023 leader Iga Swiatek on the list, out-earning the five-time major champion by over $10 million.
Swiatek, who is No.2 on Forbes List, earned $23.8 million, including $15 million in endorsements to edge out No.4 on the list, China’s Zheng Qinwen.
Zheng, who won the Olympic gold medal in singles, may find her way to the top of the list in the next few years, as she dramatically increased her starpower in 2024 by reaching her maiden major final and becoming the first Chinese woman to bring home gold in Olympic tennis singles.
Zheng added Audi/ Milk Tea Chain Chagee, Lancome and phone maker Vivo to her endorsement portfolio, and earned a total of $20.6 million, including 15 mil from endorsements. Li Na appeared in the Top 10 from 2011 to 2014.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ($18.7 million, fifth on the list) parlayed her best season as a pro to crack Forbes Top 5. She added a watchmaker, and Acai bowl chain Oakberry to her list of sponsorships, as well as two major titles.
At No.6 was Naomi Osaka, who earned $12.9 million, mostly from endorsements to stand tied with Emma Raducanu. Osaka, who earned over $50 million in 2021 and 2022, remains high on the list thanks to more than a dozen sponsorship deals and her own production company Hana Kuma.
A poster girl for British Airways, Dior and HSBC, Raducanu is still seeking the on-court success that she achieved in 2021, when she won the US Open from qualifying as an 18-year-old. She is ranked 57 and earned just 900,000 in prize money in 2024.
Ninth on the list might come as a surprise, because our next player only played two matches all season. But never underestimate the power of the Williams sisters. The sevent-time major champion comes in at No.9. She earned $12.1 million thanks to being active on the speaking circuit, making six figures per engagement, and she’s very active as an entrepreneur. Williams also co-founded Palazzo, an AI powered interior design platform and was the model for a barbie doll created as part of the toy’s 65th anniversary.
Jessica Pegula ($10.2 million), Jasmine Paolini ($8 million), Elena Rybakina ($7.9 million) and Leylah Fernandez ($6.5 million), also reached the Top 20 in Forbes list.