WTA: Naomi Osaka was the highest-earning female athlete in 2021
Naomi Osaka leads the Forbes ranking of the highest paid athletes in 2021 quite clearly ahead of Serena Williams .
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 15, 2022, 10:20 am
For women, tennis is probably the most lucrative sport in the world. If you want to make really, really big money, a career in "white sports" is the most realistic option. To support this rather less steep thesis, one can take a look at the annual Forbes ranking of the highest-earning female athletes. The ranking of the world-renowned business magazine is published annually.
The current 2021 edition unsurprisingly leads, like the year before, Naomi Osaka. The Japanese, who scores particularly well with top-class sponsorship contracts in her home country, is listed with an annual income of 57.3 million US dollars. However, the prize money is "only" 2.3 million US dollars. Second place goes to the younger of the two Williams sisters, Serena, who has an annual salary of around 46 million US dollars.
Five female tennis players in the top 10
Third place goes to the older of the two sisters, Venus, by a wide margin. The 41-year-old was able to post $11.3 million to her account last year. Only in fourth place does a non-tennis-playing athlete follow: Simone Biles. The American gymnast, who by the age of 24 had already won seven Olympic and 25 World Championships medals, earned an impressive $10 million in 2021.
A total of five tennis players made it into the top 10. Garbine Muguruza from Spain ranks fifth, Ashleigh Barty, the current world number one, is eighth. Incidentally, the US golfer Nelly Korda - sister of Sebastian and daughter of Petr Korda - occupies new place.