Tennis players dominated the Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes for 2023 as World No. 1 Iga Swiatek topped the chart with a whopping $23.9 million in earnings in the year. While Eileen Gu took the second spot, the remaining eight spots in the top 10 were occupied by tennis players.
The likes of Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Naomi Osaka found a place in the list of Forbes’ highest-paid female athletes. There are a total of 12 tennis players in the top 20 list with Qinwen Zheng, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova getting a place in the 11-20 ranks.
Swiatek won a total of $9.85 million in prize money in 2023, while earning a large chunk of her annual earnings from her endorsement deals. With $23.9 million to her name, Swiatek easily eclipsed Gu, who earned a total of $22.1 million. Third on the list is Coco Gauff, with $21.7 million to her name.
Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, groped a whopping $14.7 million and sits comfortably in the sixth position. The Belarusian was followed by Jessica Pegula ($12.5 million), Venus Williams ($12.2 million), Elena Rybakina ($9.5 million), and Leylah Fernandez ($8.8 million).
Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka manage to stay in top 5 despite missing majority of the 2023 season
While the likes of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka were regular features in the 2023 season, Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka missed the majority of the season, yet they managed to secure the fourth and fifth position, respectively. While Raducanu earned $15.2 million and Osaka managed $15 million.
All of Osaka’s earnings in 2023 came from her endorsement deals, as the Japanese ace did not play a single tournament this year (due to the birth of her first child). Meanwhile, Raducanu took part in a few tournaments, but that did not bring her a lot of money ($237,627) as the Briton did not win any title this year.
It is worth mentioning that Iga Swiatek became the first women’s tennis player (after Maria Sharapova) other than Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka to claim the crown. While Sharapova dominated the list since it was first introduced in 2008, Williams and Osaka took turns after 2016.
