For the second year in a row, Coco Gauff tops Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes. The 21-year-old tennis star earned an estimated $33 million this year. About $8 million came from prize money, boosted by her French Open triumph in June, while the remaining $25 million was generated off the court through endorsement deals with brands such as New Balance, Bose and Baker Tilly.
Forbes reports that the top 20 women on the list earned a combined $293 million, representing a 13% increase from last year. A record 14 athletes surpassed $10 million in annual earnings.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ranks second with $30 million after winning the U.S. Open and reaching the finals of the Australian Open, French Open and WTA Finals. She has also climbed to second place on the WTA’s all-time prize money list with $45.2 million, behind only Serena Williams.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek sits third with $25.1 million. Freestyle skiing star Eileen Gu ($23.1 million) and Chinese tennis standout Qinwen Zheng ($22.6 million) complete the top five.
Tennis dominates the rest of the top 10, with Madison Keys ($13.4 million), Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina (tied at $12.5 million), and Jessica Pegula ($12.3 million). The only non-tennis athlete in the top 10 is golfer Nelly Korda, who ranks seventh with $13 million.
WNBA standout Caitlin Clark places 11th, earning $12.1 million in 2025, with nearly all of it coming from her on-court performances as she continues to drive record viewership and popularity for the league.
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