These are the highest-earning female athletes in the world

When Serena Williams announced in August that she was ready to hang up her racket after 27 years in professional tennis, she had amassed an estimated fortune of $260 million. That made her one of only two athletes, along with her old rival Maria Sharapovaon the list of the richest self-made women in the United States.

Williams stands out in many ways, not just with his record 23 titles Grand Slam in the open era, but with total career earnings of $450 million, including endorsements and other business endeavors. She is light years ahead of any other female athlete.

The good news, though, is that after paving the way for other female athletes to start making more money, she may not be this outlier for long. Also a tennis star Naomi OsakaMore joined her as one of two women on the list of the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes, and indeed the super in annual earnings as of 2020.

Now a new group of sports stars is emerging and they are already making millions. In fact, eight of the top-earning female athletes of 2022 have earned at least $10 million, double what they were a year ago and the first time more than seven women have reached that milestone since they began. Forbes introduced the ranking in 2008. Among the women in that earnings stratosphere this year are four newcomers to the list: freestyle skier Eileen Gu and the tennis players Emma Raducan, Iga Swiatek y Coco Gauff.

In all, the world’s 25 highest-paid female athletes grossed an estimated $285 million in 2022 before taxes and agent fees, with the top ten accounting for $194 million of that total, up 17% from the record for $167 million of the top ten of 2021. With $51.1 million in earnings, Osaka ranks first for the third year in a row, followed by Williams with $41.3 million.

Here they are, these are the highest paid female athletes of 2022:

#1. US$ 51.1 million

Naomi Osaka

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: Japanese | AGE: 25 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 1,1 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 50 mil

Osaka was hampered by injuries for much of the year and lost a major sponsorship when FTX filed for bankruptcy in November, just eight months after their settlement was announced. But your portfolio sponsorships still among the best in sports: only six members of the athlete roster of 2022 by Forbes they made over $50 million off the field. Osaka is also keeping busy as an entrepreneur, having co-founded a skincare line, a production company and a talent agency, and, starting this month, invested in a pickleball team.

#2. US$ 41.3 million

Serena Williams

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: EU | AGE: 41 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 0,3 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 41 mil

Two months after a first-person essay in Vogue seemed to indicate that Williams was retiring, she clarified at a TechCrunch conference that she was “not retired” and that the chances of her returning to tennis were “very high.” Even if the break from gambling turns out to be temporary, she has capitalized on the free time with a series of lucrative talk dates. And she has plenty to keep her busy, including a venture firm that has investments in more than 70 startups and a startup she co-founded to sell topical pain relief products. He also made a cameo in the new movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery .

#3. US$ 20.1 million

Eileen Gu

DEPORT: ESQU FREESTYLE | NATIONALITY: CHINA | AGE: 19

IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 0,1 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 20 mil

Gu, who was born and raised in San Francisco but represents his mother’s homeland, ChinaIn international competition, she cemented her rise to global stardom at the Beijing Olympics in February, winning two gold and one silver medal. His success has extended far beyond the ski slopes. Currently a student at Stanford University, he has an extensive list of sponsors that includes Red Bull, Therabody y Louis Vuitton, as well as the Chinese companies Mengniu Dairy and JD.com. She is also a model, as a client of the powerful agency IMG.

#4. US$ 18.7 million

Emma Raducanu

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: GREAT BRETAA | AGE: 20 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 0,7 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 18 mil

Raducanu’s Cinderella run to the 2021 US Open title as an 18-year-old qualifying player opened the floodgates of publicity, with British Airways, Dior, Evian, HSBC, Porsche, Tiffany y Vodafone joining Nike as sponsors. Her world singles ranking, which peaked at No. 10, has slipped to 80, but the young Briton is still very attractive to sellers. For starters, a recent report from data company SponsorUnited revealed that their brand’s posts on the rsocial networks they had the highest average participation of all tennis players.

#5. US$ 14.9 million

Iga Swiatek

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: POLAND | AGE: 21 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 9,9 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 5 mil

Swiatek gan el French Open and the US Open this year, giving her three career Grand Slam singles titles, trailing only one behind Osaka for the most among active players not named Williams. He clinched the No. 1 spot on both the world rankings and prize money list of the year, doubling No. 2 Ons Jabeur in terms of ranking points and dollars. In September, Świątek signed with IMG, the most powerful tennis agency, to add to a set of endorsements that includes Asics y PZUan insurance company in his native Poland.

#6. US$ 12.1 million

Venus Williams

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: EU | AGE: 42 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 0,1 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 12 mil

Williams played just four tournaments in 2022, losing every match, but has already received a wild card to compete at the Australian Open next month. Traditional tennis sponsors would normally scoff at a player ranked No. 1,007 in the world, but Williams’ endorsement deals focus far more on her celebrity than her Grand Slam performance. She also maintains a busy speaking schedule, making more than 30 appearances this year, each worth six figures.

#7. US$ 11.1 million

Coco Gauff

DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: EU | AGE: 18 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 3,1 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 8 mil

Gauff almost made a breakthrough at the French Open, reaching the final in both singles and doubles, and many in the sport believe it’s only a matter of time before he wins a Grand Slam. I recently signed an extension with New Balance which is believed to have come with a substantial pay raise, and her salary off the court could be even higher were it not for the slow and steady approach taken by her agent and her parents: father Corey, who coaches her, and mother Candi, who educated her at home. Her goal has been to maximize her long-term opportunities and minimize the distractions of tennis and the chances of burnout.

#8. US$ 10 million

Simone Biles

DEPORT: GYM | NATIONALITY: EU | AGE: 25 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 0 • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 10 mil

Biles is the rare Olympian who doesn’t seem to lose his mind in a non-Olympic year. In 2022, he starred in a commercial for Super Bowl for the software company BMC and new announcements from Subway y Powerade while launching a sportswear collection with Athlete. He also added an equity stake in cybersecurity firm Axonius and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US’s highest civilian honor, in July, along with soccer star Megan Rapinoe.

#9. US$ 7.6 million

Jessica Pegula
DEPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: EU | AGE: 28 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 3,6 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 4 mil

Pegula, the daughter of billionaire Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, has yet to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam, but she finished the season as the highest-ranked American tennis player at No. 3, four places ahead. by Coco Gauff. The late-rising star has her own skincare line called Ready 24 and is looking to add it to her endorsement deals with Adidas, Yonex y Ready Nutrition after signing with talent agency GSE Worldwide in November.

#10. US$ 7.3 million

Minjee Lee

DEPORT: GOLF | NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIA | AGE: 26 | IN THE COUNTRYSIDE: US$ 4,8 mil • OFF THE FIELD: US$ 2,5 mil

Lee has ranked in the top ten on the official LPGA Tour money list in each of the past five years and finished in second place in 2022 with $3.8 million thanks to her victory at the US Women’s Open in June, the second great victory of his career. She added a US$1 million bonus by winning the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, a season-long competition that rewards the player with the best average score. Incidentally, Aon, a British financial services firm, is among her backers, along with brands drawn to her South Korean heritage like Hana Bank and clothing company WAAC.