With Serena Williams retired and Naomi Osaka sidelined due to recovery from injuries and then childbirth, the list of the world¡¯s highest-paid female athletes has a new number 1 this year: 22-year-old Polish tennis star Iga ?wi?tek. Ever since?Forbes?introduced the ranking in?2008, Maria Sharapova is the only other woman beyond Williams and Osaka to have claimed the crown, ranking first for eight straight years until Serena Williams took over in 2016.
And now, this young 22-year-old tennis star ?wi?tek has turned out to be the highest-paid female athlete of 2023 as per Forbes. She had a monster year that included the women¡¯s singles title at the French Open, plus four new endorsement deals.?
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: POLAND | AGE: 22 | ON-FIELD: $9.9 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $14 MILLION
SPORT: FREESTYLE SKIING | NATIONALITY: CHINA | AGE: 20 | ON-FIELD: $0.1 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $22 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: U.S. | AGE: 19 | ON-FIELD: $6.7 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $15 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: UNITED KINGDOM | AGE: 21 | ON-FIELD: $0.2 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $15 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: JAPAN | AGE: 26 | ON-FIELD: $0 ? OFF-FIELD: $15 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: BELARUS | AGE: 25 | ON-FIELD: $8.2 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $6.5 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: U.S. | AGE: 29 | ON-FIELD: $6 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $6.5 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: U.S. | AGE: 43 | ON-FIELD: $0.2 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $12 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: KAZAKHSTAN | AGE: 24 | ON-FIELD: $5.5 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $4 MILLION
SPORT: TENNIS | NATIONALITY: CANADA | AGE: 21 | ON-FIELD: $1.8 MILLION ? OFF-FIELD: $7 MILLION
12 out of the world¡¯s 20 highest-paid female athletes, and nine of the top 10, come from tennis, which offers sizable prize money and ample marketing opportunities for female athletes.?Golf and soccer each have two athletes represented in this year¡¯s top 20, with badminton, basketball, gymnastics and freestyle skiing rounding out the list with one athlete apiece.
Combined, the 20 top-earning women made an estimated $226 million in 2023. As per Forbes, that is a 13% drop from 2022¡¯s $258 million, but the decline can be attributed almost entirely to the loss of Williams (who hauled in $41.3 million on last year¡¯s list) and Osaka¡¯s tumble to $15 million (from $51.1 million in 2022) amid her long layoff.
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