While tennis players dominate the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, you’ll also find badminton, soccer, basketball, golf, and freestyle skiing on this list. Find out who the top 15 highest-paid female athletes are.
15. P.V. Sindhu: Badminton: $7.1 million
While it may not be one of the biggest sports in America, badminton is popular around the world. India’s P.V. Sindhu, 28, is the only Indian to date to win the BWF World Championships (2019), irrespective of gender. She also won two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games (2016 and 2021). In 2018, Sindhu won the BWF World Tour Finals.
14. Qinwen Zheng: Tennis: $7.2 million
Qinwen Zheng, 21, made her quarter-finals debut in the French Open in 2022 and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. In 2024, Zheng won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. She’s now a top 10 WTA singles player and is considered one of the most exciting prospects in the modern era.
13. Alex Morgan: Soccer: $7.8 million
With an annual salary of $475,511, American soccer superstar Alex Morgan plays for the San Diego Wave. She’s the highest-paid female soccer player in the world. However, Morgan’s earnings off the field boost her yearly income, thanks to sponsorships from brands like Michelob Ultra and Bodyarmor. She’s also made a fortune through investments, such as Togethrx, a media company.
12. Candace Parker: Basketball: $8.1 million
Candace Parker earns $100,000 annually playing for the Las Vegas Aces and is one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history. She’s a 7x WNBA All-Star, 2x MVP, WNBA finals MVP, WNBA All-Star MVP, 3x champion, and was WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2008. She has sponsorships with Adidas, CarMax, Gatorade, and more.
11. Nelly Korda: Golf: $8.2 million
Nelly Korda hails from Florida and is considered one of the best female golfers in history. She’s currently first in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, has 14 LPGA Tour titles, and won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She also made Forbes’ list of “30 under 30,” which names the highest earners under age 30, and ranked 23rd.
10. Leylah Fernandez: Tennis: $8.8 million
Leylah Fernandez helped her native Canada win its first Billie Jean King Cup in 2023. She has won 174 matches in five years. However, a Grand Slam title still eludes her. She barely lost the US Open women’s singles crown in 2021. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old still has youth and a bright future ahead of her.
9. Elena Rybakina: Tennis: $9.5 million
Elena Rybakina, 24, is considered one of the best female tennis players ever, capturing eight career titles so far. In 2023, she achieved a career-high WTA singles ranking of number 3. She won her first and only Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Open in 2022. Rybakina has a career record of 315 wins and 136 losses.
8. Venus Williams: Tennis: $12.2 million
Venus Williams, 43, is considered one of the greatest female tennis players ever. Along with her sister, Serena, the duo are legendary in doubles. However, Venus, a former world number one, has won seven Grand Slam singles titles. A huge chunk of her earnings comes from sponsorships such as Tide, Kraft, Wilson, Ralph Lauren, Electronic Arts, and others.
7. Jessica Pegula: Tennis: $12.5 million
Jessica Pegula is not only one of the best singles players ever, but also in devils, with her court partner Coco Gauff. Pegula, 30, turned pro at age 15. Since then, she’s won six singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour and is a seven-time major quarterfinalist in singles.
6. Aryna Sabalenka: Tennis: $14.7 million
During her career, Aryna Sabalenka has been ranked the top player in both WTA singles and doubles. The 26-year-old Belarusian has two Grand Slam singles titles, winning the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open) and two Grand Slam doubles titles (winning the 2019 U.S. Open and 2021 Australian Open). Sabalenka has 23 career titles, 17 in singles and 6 in doubles.
5. Naomi Osaka: Tennis: $15 million
Born in Japan and having trained in the US since age 3, at 14, Naomi Osaka defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Stanford Classic. Now 26, Osaka is repeatedly named among the most influential people and athletes. She’s a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and has won seven WTA Tour titles.
4. Emma Raducanu: Tennis: $15.2 million
Among Britain’s greatest female tennis players ever, former British No. 1, is 21-year-old Emma Raducanu. She won the US Open in 2021. In 2022, she ranked No. 10 by the WTA. In the open era, she holds the record for the fewest majors played before winning a title. As of October 2024, her world ranking in singles was No. 54.
3. Coco Gauff: Tennis: $21.7 million
As of October 2024, Coco Gauff holds a singles world ranking of No. 4. The 20-year-old from Georgia has won eight WTA Tour singles titles, nine doubles titles, and her first Grand Slam in the 2023 U.S. Open. Gauff has a career record in singles of 223-96. In doubles, she’s 136-61 and ranked No. 11 as of June 2024.
2. Eileen Gu: Freestyle skiing: $22.1 million
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the youngest Olympic champion, winning two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2022 Olympics at age 18. Now 21, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in 2022. She reportedly pulls down an annual salary of $100,000. Gu was the first freestyle skier to win four consecutive World Cup competitions.
1. Iga Świątek: Tennis: $23.9 million
Holding the world No.1 spot in the WTA singles rankings as of May 2024, Iga Świątek has five Grand Slam titles and 22 career singles titles. The 23-year-old Polish player is also 7th for most weeks spent as No. 1. Her career singles record is 335–73. According to Forbes, she was the world’s highest-paid female athlete in 2024.
