The 20 Richest Female Athletes of All-Time
From the look of things, women are no longer less than men in almost every field. From space flights to sports, women are making their place everywhere. In sports, many females have earned their identity from their stunning performances. Apart from the trophies, they earn a lot of money from other sources. Below, we compile a list of the 20 richest female athletes as of 2022.
20. Alana Blanchard (Profession: Surfer) Net Worth: $2 million
Alana has been on the waves for more than a decade with her roots in Kauai, Hawaii. She earned the 2005 & C’s Women’s Pipeline Champion at only 15 years of age. Alana’s incredible skills have earned her so many other titles. With a net worth of $2 million, Blanchard is among the most marketable and wealthiest female surfers in the world. She is also sponsored by companies, including Reef, GoPro, and Rockstar Energy Drinks.
19. Alex Morgan (Profession: Soccer Player) Net Worth: $3 million
Alex Morgan is a soccer legend who has made great contributions to getting her team to win at the international, national, and club levels. She competes in NWSL (national women’s soccer league), which is the hugest level in women’s professional soccer in the U.S. Alex is the captain and striker for the American women’s national team as well as San Diego Wace Football Club. She has a huge following partly due to her role in the FIFA Women’s World Cup wins in 2019 and 2015. Without any doubt, she is among the top earners in the NWSL. Her success is also attributed to companies like Coca-Cola, Nike, Panasonic, and Volkswagen.
18. Candace Parker (Profession: Basketball Player) – Net Worth $5 million
Candace Parker is a professional American Basketball player, and she plays for Chicago Sky in the WNBA (women’s national basketball association). Los Angeles Sparks settled for her with the first pick in the WNBA Draft in 20028. Sources indicate that she largely earns about AUD 7.9 million years from sponsorship deals. Some of her endorsement deals come from companies like Capital One, Adidas, CarMax, and Band-Aid.
17. Nelly Korda (Profession: Golfer) Net Worth- $5.9 million
Nelly is a professional golfer and is ranked at position one according to the WWG (Women’s World Golf) rankings. During the 2020 Summer Games, Nelly won the Olympic gold medal in the Women’s golf competition. The 23-year-old golfer has sponsorship from more than ten companies. These include Hanwha Q Cells and UKG. According to Golfchannel, Nelly was featured in Forbes’ 30 under 30 2022 list in the sports category.
16. PV Sindhu (Profession: Badminton Player) Net Worth: $6 million
PV (Pusarla Venkata) is not only among the wealthiest female athletes in India but also the highest earner in women’s Badminton. Sindhu is the second Indian athlete to have won two medals straight in the Olympics. Additionally, she is the first and the solo woman to have won Badminton’s world championship. In 2017, Sindhu reached her career peak, where Forbes ranked her in position 2 of the highest-paid female athletes in 2018, 2019, and 2021. During this period, her highest earnings reached $8.5 million, and her lowest was $5.5 million. PV has endorsements from companies like JBL, Moov, Flipkart, and Panasonic.
15. Jin Young Ko (Profession: Golfer) Net Worth: $9.4 million
Jin is among the top female golfers in the world. She won the HSBC WWC (Women’s World Championship) in Singapore in 2022. Ko has remained the LPGA tour’s highest earner for the past three years. Jin has countless sponsorships from businesses in South Korea, such as LG Electronics, Jeju SamDaSoo water, and Korean Air, to name a few.
14. Simone Bile (Profession: Artistic Gymnast) Net Worth: $11 million
Simone is among the first gymnasts to be listed as the highest-paid athletes in the world in a decade. She is seen as one of the most powerful and the best Gymnast in history. According to NYtimes, Bile is the 6th woman to win the gold in the individual all-around match at the World & Olympic Championships. In August 2021, Bile teamed with Autograph to begin releasing NFTs. Bile confirmed her endorsement from Nike on Twitter back in 2015. She has also signed agreements to be a spokesperson for Beats by Dr Dre and to partner with Spieth America to develop a line of gymnastics equipment.
13. Gabrine Muguruza (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $12 million
Muguruza has to continue soaring high and has appeared on the list of the highest-paid female athletes. This player from Venezuela and Spain is famous for her aggressiveness in ground strokes and serving style. She advanced to be in the third spot in the women’s tennis rankings by 2021 after winning three events. Besides that, Muguruza has also succeeded in doubles and has taken home five titles. Part of her fortune is the endorsements she receives from companies like Rolex, Jaguar cars, Beats Electronics, Maui Jim, and many more.
12. Ronda Rousey (Profession: Wrestler) Net Worth: $13 million
Ronda Rousey isn’t a new name in the MMA world, as she is the first female wrestler to feature in the UFC Hall of Fame. The wrestler has earned a fortune by acting in different successful films, including Expendables 3 and Furious 7. Ronda has attracted a huge fan base from her success in WWE and the Olympics. As such, so many companies approached her, offering to sponsor her. She began her MMA (mixed martial arts) career in 2011. Ronda featured among the best female athletes in the 2015 ESPN survey. She is currently one of the richest female athletes and is the ambassador for companies like Minster Headphones, and Reebok, among others.
11. Stacy Lewis (Profession: Golfer) Net Worth: $15 million
In 2013, Stacy Lewis ranked at the top in the rankings of Women’s World Golf for four weeks. Stay retained the title for 21 weeks in 2014 after she won the ShopRite LPGA Classic. She has always been featured as the richest female athlete globally. Stacy got her first victory in 3 years in 2017 after winning the Cambia Portland Classic. According to Golfdigest, she dedicated her earnings to helping the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Besides the prizes in the form of money, Stacy has several endorsements from companies like KPMG and Fila, which ump up her big fortune lifestyle.
10. Anna Ivanovic (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $16 million
Anna is a Serbian tennis player who has won up to 15 WTA Tour titles and the 2008 French Open. However, Ivanovic has experienced several injuries which led to her slippage in recent years. Anna ended her 2016 season in September after she suffered wrist and toe injuries. Even with that, she managed to pull up to $1.9 million in prize money. From endorsements, Anna Ivanovic garnered up to $5.5 million. She formally retired from professional tennis towards the end of 2016.
9. Lindsay Davenport (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $20 million
Lindsay is an American Tennis player who retired from professional tennis in 201. She, however, enjoyed a career spanning 17 years. Lindsay won the gold medal in the women’s singles back in 1996 during the Atlanta Olympics. She has also won 93 champions, including 6 Grand Slams. Davenport was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014. Sources from Forbes indicate that Lindsay earned $22.2 million in prize money in her entire sporting career.
8. Yuna Kim (Profession: Figure Skating) Net Worth: $21 million
Arguably, Yuna Kim is a household name in figure skating. According to Opoyi, she is the first woman to have won in every Grand Slam competition. Yuna is among the most well-known athletes in South Korea and a media icon. Various media worldwide refer to her as Queen Yuna due to her popularity and accomplishments. She performed amazingly during the 2010 Winter Olympics, setting the world record in the Short Program and the Free Skate. This top-ranked athlete has secured a place among the richest female athlete even though figure skating is not a high-paying sport.
7. Ashleigh Barty (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $47 million
Ashleigh became Australia’s second female tennis player to rank No.1 globally in the singles category. Currently, she holds the Australian and Wimbledon Open singles champion title. Ashleigh is also a three-time Grand Slam singles winner. She won the Western and Southern Open, where she took home AUD 353,775. Barty also enjoys sponsorship from companies like Fila Holdings Corp, Jaguar, Edgewell Personal Care, Uber Eats, and Rado. Additionally, she has also signed an agreement with Marriott Bonvoy.
6. Naomi Osaka (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $60 million
There is no way Naomi Osaka wouldn’t have featured on the list of the richest female athletes of all time. With earnings reaching $57.3 million, she is one of the world’s wealthiest female athletes. Naomi is the first Asian player to top the single rankings per the WTA (women’s Tennis Association) rankings. According to Golfdigest, Osaka ranks 7th among all athletes in terms of ranking. Yonex has sponsored Naomi’s tennis racquets for the last ten years. Nike, on the other hand, offers her clothing support. Other sponsors include Japanese Watch and Nissan Motor.
5. Danica Patrick (Profession: Auto Racing Driver) Net Worth: $80 million
Danica is a popular open-wheel racer that features on our list of the richest female athletes all over the world. Throughout her career, she has received sponsorship from companies like Nationwide, Chevrolet, and Coca-Cola. Danica made her debut in 2012 during the season of the Sprint Cup Series, which is currently known as the NASCAR Cup Series. She became the first female to win a Cup Series position, where she came out in position seven. Danica officially retired from professional racing in 2018. Since the wake of Danica’s career, more women have become ambitious in auto racing. It is believed that auto racing will soon become the highest paying sport and overtake tennis.
4. Venus Williams (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $95 million
Venus Williams is formerly the No.1 doubles and singles tennis player with up to 7 Grand Slam titles. She is recognized largely as one of the best athletes to have played tennis. Venus became the first African American lady to hold the No.1 position on February 25th, 2002. Venus and her sister are the only active players to proceed to all four major singles finals. Sources indicate that Venus signed a $40 million contract with Reebok and had a 5-year contract in 2000. Among the endorsement, she has received Ralph Lauren, Wilson, and Lacoste, to name a few.
3. Alexis DeJoria (Profession: Race Car Driver) Net Worth: $100 million
Alexis is a car racer competing in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). She races a car that can reach speeds of more than 330 miles every hour. Alexis has four wins in her career in the Funny car division. She is the first female car racer to be clocked in less than 4 seconds in the Funny car. Alexis gets sponsorship from Tequila Patron.
2. Maria Sharapova (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $195 million
Sharapova is a Russian-born tennis player who started her profession in 2001. In her career, she has won 23 singles titles, including the Grand Slam titles. In 2016, Sharapova made it to Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes in the world. According to Forbes, she was at position 88 on that list, where she had earned $21.9 million in that year, with $20 million being from endorsements. To date, she has won about $36.5 million in prize money, which has made her one of the wealthiest tennis players in the world.
1. Serena Williams (Profession: Tennis Player) Net Worth: $200 million
Serena is a living icon, having been ranked as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. This tennis star has many corporate sponsors and up to $94 million in her winning career. She has a company, Serena Ventures, which revealed that it had raised an initial fund amounting to $111 million in March 2022. Apart from that, Serena has made investments in more than 60 firms. Sources indicate that Serena makes at least $8 million annually from her tennis career. She is also sponsored by companies like Gatorade, Nike, IBM, Pepsi, Aston Martin, and many others.
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