A new
Forbes report positions
Iga Swiatek as the highest-earning female athlete in
2023, contrasting with the recently published Sportico list where
Coco Gauff
claimed the top spot. Both rankings differed in the calculated earnings for
each tennis player in 2023.
In on-court
prize money alone, Coco Gauff earned $6,669,622, more than $3 million behind
Swiatek, who amassed $9,857,686. However, both Forbes and Sportico take into
account off-court income from sponsorships, promotional activities, etc.
Sportico's
calculations placed Gauff at the top of the list of female athletes with $22.7
million, with Swiatek in second place with $21.9 million. This marked a
departure from the dominance of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Naomi
Osaka over the past 15 years.
Forbes
Ranking:
Forbes'
estimation increased Swiatek's earnings by two million dollars ($23.9 million),
securing her the top spot for the year in 2023. Skiing sensation Eileen Gu
($22.1 million) emerged as the second-highest earner, pushing Coco Gauff to
third place with $21.7 million.
Some of the
main earnings for the 4-times Grand Slam champion this year come from
sponsorships such as Visa, On Shoes and Apparel, Oshee, and Infosys. On the
other hand, Coco Gauff increased her sponsorships, especially after winning the
US Open title in September. She signed deals with brands like Baker Tilly,
Bose, UPS, and even appeared in an advertisement for the movie "The
Marvels," part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Women tennis
players among the highest-paid
In tennis,
12 women were among the top 20 earners, with nine of them in the top 10. Following
the podium were Emma Raducanu (No. 4), Naomi Osaka (No. 5), Aryna Sabalenka
(No. 6), Jessica Pegula (No. 7), Elena Rybakina (No. 9), Leylah Fernandez (No.
10), Zheng Qinwen (No. 15), Ons Jabeur (No. 18), and Marketa Vondrousova (No.
20).
In total,
the top 20 highest-earning women earned around 226 million in 2023. This
represents a 13% decrease compared to the 258 million in 2022, primarily due to
the absence of Williams, who raised 41.3 million last year, and Osaka's income
dropping to 15 million dollars (from 51.1 million in 2022) due to her extended
break