"There’s no doubt tennis is one of the best sports for young girls" - Bouchard and Eubanks delve into why tennis is such a lucrative sport for women

Tennis is a very lucrative sport if you are able to rise up the ranks. Eight of the top 10 highest-earning female athletes come from tennis with Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka exceeding a mind-boggling $30 million earned. Eugenie Bouchard and Christopher Eubanks opened up on the reasons for this on the Tennis Channel and why it is such a good sport for young girls to take up.

Those two lead the list with Iga Swiatek completing the top three. Skier Eileen Gu is the first non-tennis player with Zheng Qinwen and Madison Keys slotting in behind at fifth and sixth. Sebastian Korda's sister, Nelly, comes in seventh with a successful golfing career paying dividends while Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula complete the list.

Bouchard began the discussion with a special thanks to her parents. "Well, first I have to say thank you to my mum and dad for putting me in tennis," she laughed. "They made a good call with my time. I think it’s just a great sport."

While there are differences with the men, the Canadian focused on the similarities which sees women's earnings come a lot closer to the men's than in other sports. "Playing-wise, it’s the sport that’s most similar to the men’s game. Obviously the men are stronger and have bigger serves, but when you’re playing baseline points with men you’re kind of close. I think that closeness translates to the dollars as well, because people want to see that product."

Eubanks was quick to agree with his colleague. However, he opened up on the cruel reality for some tennis players who earn a lot of money which gets pumped straight back into the sport. "One thing I do want to highlight for fans watching: when we talk about lower-ranked players who earn around a million dollars in a year, those players have very high expenses," he explained.

"When you hear a million dollars, don’t assume someone like Caroline Dolehide walked away with a million dollars in the bank. Between taxes and paying for their team, a good percentage goes out."

That is just a small downside, with the American in high praise of the rewards on offer. "That said, it’s still far better than many other sports. I’d love to see it continue to grow, and I think everyone wants that. But there’s no doubt tennis is one of the best sports for young girls—not just professionally, but also for college scholarships. There are so many opportunities in tennis. I’d love to see the prize money keep growing, but right now the sport is in a pretty good place."

One of the reasons for tennis players dominating this list is due to sponsorship money which comes pouring in, a lot more than some sports. Bouchard had a theory to this.

"I think so, because it’s such an individual sport," she stated. "You can really showcase your personality and build a brand around yourself—your name. You’re not wearing a jersey with just your name on the back. You can promote yourself a lot, especially with social media. Marketing is off the charts now. Back in the day we were posting on social media, and it was nothing like it is now."

The presenter, Steve Weissman, joked that Bouchard is getting old, but that showcases how far this element of tennis has come in such a short time since she was in her pomp back in 2017 and 2018 when she was in the top 10 in this list.

"Ten years ago I thought we were ahead of the game, but now everyone can make so much more money off court," she admitted. "Of course we still want to see that improve. And you can’t forget that tennis players are self-funded. We pay for everything ourselves, which is different from team sports. They get travel paid, coaches paid—our biggest expenses are those things. So a lot of the money goes toward that."

Eubanks again added some more context to this debacle, focusing on the global recognition tennis gets. "Another factor from a marketing standpoint is that tennis is a global sport," he stated. "You can have fans in different countries and cultures who want to buy into you. It’s almost like a stock—you support a player and want to see them grow. We also travel to many different countries, attracting fans from all over the world. That plays a huge role in marketability, social media growth, and everything in between."

Of course prize money has huge implications on this list. The men and women get equal amount of prize money at the Grand Slam events and such events as the Indian Wells Open also offers the same to each gender. This is different to many sports, with tennis also offering a lot of money.

When you look at the top 10 prize money earners on both tours in 2025, there are five men and five women. "That’s great to see," Bouchard exclaimed. "At the Grand Slam level the prize money is equal, though not yet at some other tournaments, which is something that can still improve. But women are making their mark and showing how marketable they are. Look at where they’re all from—very different countries and parts of the world—which goes back to that global point."

The attention turned to Rybakina and the fact that $5.3 million of the $8.4 million earned in 2025 came from winning the WTA Finals against Sabalenka. "It’s crazy. Kudos to her for winning it and carrying that momentum into this year," Eubanks praised. "That purse is massive. Even if she doesn’t always show excitement outwardly, I’m sure there’s a lot of excitement for her, her team, and her family—not just for lifting the trophy but also for taking home such a big cheque."

Weissman finished by joking: "It’s fantastic. If you’ve got young girls out there, get a racket in their hands."