The Richest Female Athletes, Based on Net Worth

Being at the top in women’s sports takes grit, dedication, hard work and the ability to be at the top of your game in the face of rampant sexism. In 1970, a group of nine female tennis players decided to create their own tournament in protest of the huge difference in prize money for men and women on the circuit: men sometimes got paid as much as 12 times more than women.

The Original 9 found a sponsor, held a successful tournament and convinced the sponsor to back an entire circuit of tournaments. This led to the foundation of the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973 and a vigorous fight for equal prize money: of the Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open started awarding equal prize money for female and male players in 1973 while the Australian Open waited 28 more years — until 2001 — to do the same. The French Open followed in 2006 and Wimbledon in 2007.

In other sports, women still lag far behind when it comes to prize money, so it’s no wonder that tennis players are leading the ranks of the richest female athletes based on net worth. Let’s take a look at who they are. All amounts are given in US dollars.

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20. Victoria Azarenka (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Born and raised in Belarus, Victoria Azarenka made her international tennis debut at 14. She has made it to the No. 1 spot in the women’s rankings and is still in the top 30. She has 21 singles titles to her name — including two Australian Open titles — as well as nine WTA doubles titles, two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and two Olympic medals: bronze in women’s doubles and gold in mixed doubles. In between, she had a baby and won a custody battle. Among her numerous endorsements is Citizen Watch, for whom she designed a range of watches.

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19. Kim Clijsters (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Born to an artistic gymnastics champion and a professional football defender, it’s no surprise that Kim Clijsters would make it big in sports too. She started her pro career at age 14 and soon after she turned 20, she was ranked No. 1 in the world: the first Belgian player to do so. At 23, she retired, married and had a child. Two years later, she returned to the circuit. Tennis isn’t normally regarded as one of the best jobs for moms but Kim became a trailblazer: when she hit the No. 1 spot again in 2011, she was the first mother to accomplish that. She won a record-breaking three of her four Grand Slam titles as a mother too. She has no qualms about turning down endorsements for products that aren’t healthy for kids.

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18. Lindsay Davenport (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Lindsay Davenport comes from a family of volleyball players: her father even represented the United States in the sport at the Mexico City Olympics. Lindsay was six when she decided to pursue a different journey and started playing tennis. She turned professional in 1993 and retired in 2010. Among the many titles she won during this time were three Grand Slam singles titles, three Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal. She married a former tennis player turned investment banker and the eldest two of her four children were born while she was still an active professional tennis player.

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17. Billie Jean King (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Billie Jean King is one of the main reasons why female tennis players are doing so much better financially than other female athletes. She was one of the Original 9 and was the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association. She has a whopping 39 Grand Slam titles to her name and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. This wasn’t what earned her a host of awards like the Presidential Medal of Freedom, however: in addition to clapping back at sexism in a big way throughout her career – including winning the legendary Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs in straight sets — she’s an outspoken LGBTQ+ activist.

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16. Monica Seles (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

When Monica Seles was 16, she became the youngest player ever to win the French Open. For another two years, the Serbian player dominated women’s tennis. During a match in 1993, a fan of Steffi Graf’s stormed onto the court and stabbed Monica in the back. As a result, Monica didn’t play for two years and suffered from depression and an eating disorder. However, in 1995 she won her first comeback tournament, the Canadian Open, in a record-setting match. By now a U.S. citizen, she continued to play until 2008, amassing nine Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic bronze medal during her career.

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15. Martina Navratilova (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

During the 1980s, women’s tennis was dominated by the rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Martina undoubtedly won: in the 32 years since winning her first major title to winning her last, the former Czech refugee won more Grand Slam titles than any other player: 18 singles titles, 21 women’s doubles titles and 10 mixed doubles titles, often while wearing glasses because of deteriorating vision. Martina didn’t have one of those celebrity coming-out stories that will make you cry tears of pride: outed against her will by the New York Daily News in 1981, she continually had to battle the prejudiced perceptions of the public and fellow players alike.

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14. Martina Hingis (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

Born to two Czech tennis players and named after the legendary Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis was only two when she started playing as well. She entered her first tournament when she was four. At seven, she and her mother defected to Switzerland. At 12, she became the youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam junior title. At 15, she became the youngest Grand Slam champion with a doubles win at Wimbledon and at 16, she became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion of the 20th century with a win at the Australian Open.

Martina retired in 2003 due to injuries. She made a series of comebacks and retirements until 2017, when she laid down the racquet for the last time. Among her many wins are five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, seven Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and an Olympic silver medal in the doubles.

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13. Naomi Osaka (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

Naomi Osaka has been the highest-paid female athlete so far this year, even after her controversial withdrawal from the French Open. She has spoken out about her struggles with anxiety and depression and the need for stepping away from the sport for the sake of her mental health. Born to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, she’s one of the most marketable athletes in the world and is a vocal activist for Black Lives Matter and against anti-Asian hate crimes. Of course, it helps that she’s really good at tennis too: so far in her career, she’s won four Grand Slam singles titles and was the first Japanese player to reach the No. 1 spot.

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12. Agnieszka Radwanska (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

Born and raised in Krakow, Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska started playing tennis when she was four. She won two junior Grand Slam singles titles before joining the WTA circuit. While she never won a Grand Slam as a professional, she has 20 career singles and two career doubles titles to her name and has made it to the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Agnieszka won the WTA Fan Favorite Award six times. Her popularity with tennis fans brought in the endorsements and being a prolific player until her retirement in 2018 also helped add to her net worth.

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11. Simona Halep (Estimated net worth: $30 million)

Simona Halep was born in Romania and started playing tennis at the age of four. After a successful junior career which included a Grand Slam title, she turned pro in 2006, when she was 15. At 17, she underwent breast reduction surgery. She slowly and steadily climbed up the rankings until she made it to the top spot in 2017: the first Romanian woman to do so. Among the titles she’s won so far are two Grand Slams: the French Open and Wimbledon.

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10. Annika Sörenstam (Estimated net worth: $40 million)

One of only three of the world’s richest female athletes who aren’t tennis players, Annika Sörenstam is among the world’s richest pro golfers. As a child, Annika played a variety of sports and was even a nationally ranked junior tennis player in her native Sweden. When she was 12, she shared a set of golf clubs with her sister. Annika turned pro in 1992 and until her retirement in 2008, she racked up 94 professional wins. After turning 50 last year, she returned to pro golf, winning the 2021 US Senior Women’s Open. She’s also designed golf courses, had her own golfing academy and has a clothing line, wine label and signature fragrance.

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9. Caroline Wozniacki (Estimated net worth: $50 million)

Caroline Wozniacki was born in Denmark, where her parents moved from Poland after her footballer father signed with a Danish club. After a successful junior tennis career, Caroline turned pro in 2005, making it to No. 1 in the rankings and winning the Australian Open before retiring last year. Among her endorsement deals has been wearing tennis dresses designed by Stella McCartney. One of Caroline’s biggest tennis rivals has also been one of her best friends: Serena Williams was even a bridesmaid at her wedding.

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8. Anna Kournikova (Estimated net worth: $50 million)

Born in Moscow, Anna Kournikova got her first tennis racquet when she was five. She started playing in junior tournaments when she was eight and at 14, she made her WTA debut. During her professional career, she never won a singles title but with Martina Hingis she won 16 doubles titles, including two Australian Open titles. Still, even after her retirement in 2003, she was one of the most googled tennis players. Her good looks got her a slew of endorsements and modelling gigs and she had a small acting role in Me, Myself & Irene alongside one of the richest Canadian actors, Jim Carrey. She met her partner, Enrique Iglesias, after appearing in one of his music videos.

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7. Li Na (Estimated net worth: $50 million)

Born in Wuhan, China, Li Na started playing badminton when she was six, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her dad, who was a professional badminton player. She switched to tennis when she was eight. At 14, she joined China’s national team and in 1999, at age 16, she turned pro. In 2006, she left the national team and started studying part-time for a journalism degree. Two years later, she returned to the tennis circuit and when she won the French Open in 2011 — one of two Grand Slam singles titles during her career — she was the first person from an Asian country to manage this feat. Until her retirement in 2014, Na brought in big bank through endorsements.

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6. Danica Patrick (Estimated net worth: $80 million)

Danica Patrick has been a trailblazer for women in one of the most male-dominated sports: car racing. As a kid, she started out by racing go-karts. She dropped out of high school to move to England and pursue a racing career. Three years later, she returned to the United States and there her career went from strength to strength: she was the first woman to win a top open wheel car racing event when she won the 2008 Indy Japan 300. She also shattered records for women in stock car racing. Danica retired from racing in 2018. In addition to racing, she’s had some acting roles and modelling gigs and owns her own wine brand and Athleisure wear collection. She hosts her own podcast too.

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5. Venus Williams (Estimated net worth: $95 million)

It’s impossible to talk about famous sisters and not mention the Wiliams sisters. The elder of the two, Venus turned pro at 14 and when she reached the No. 1 spot in 2002, she was the first African-American woman to do so in the Open Era. She was the first tennis player to win a medal at four Olympic Games — she has four golds and a silver to her name. She also has seven Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

In between tennis tournaments, Venus earned degrees in fashion design and business administration. She has her own interior design firm, her own fashion line and a bestselling book. Venus and her sister Serena were also the first Black women to own a stake in an NFL franchise when they became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins.

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4. Alexis DeJoria (Estimated net worth: $100 million)

Alexis DeJoria started her career in the male-dominated world of drag racing in 2005 and eight months later, she won the Sportsman Nationals. She’s had several wins during her career and even built her own racing team before leaving after three years to join a team sponsored by the Patron Spirits Company, of which her father, billionaire John Paul DeJoria, is a co-founder. In 2013, she married Sandra Bullock’s ex, Jesse James, but they divorced last year amid allegations of his infidelity.

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3. Steffi Graf (Estimated net worth: $145 million)

German tennis legend Steffi Graf inspired several top players who followed in later years. Her father taught her how to swing a racquet when she was three and she played in her first tournament when she was only five. She played her first professional tournament at 13. In 1986, she beat Chris Evert and a year later, she beat world No. 1 Martina Navratilova to win the French Open. This was the first of 22 Grand Slam singles titles until her retirement in 1999.

She also has a Grand Slam doubles title and an Olympic gold, silver and bronze medal to her name. Long after she retired, she still got endorsement deals – some alongside husband Andre Agassi, who is one of the richest tennis players in the world in his own right too.

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2. Maria Sharapova (Estimated net worth: $180 million)

When Maria Sharapova was four, she was given her first tennis racquet by her father’s friend, who happened to be the father of future world No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov. At six, Maria attended a tennis clinic run by Martina Navratilova, who recommended professional training at the IMG Academy in Florida. The following year, her dad managed to borrow enough money to fly himself and Maria to the United States, even though neither could speak any English.

He took on low-paying jobs to fund her lessons until she was old enough to enroll at the academy. She turned pro on her 14th birthday. Three years later, she won her first Grand Slam title. Four more would follow, as would an Olympic silver medal. She was the first Russian woman to make it to No. 1 too. Maria, who retired from the game last year, has been one of the highest paid female athletes several times, with plenty of endorsements, modelling gigs and her own tennis apparel and shoe and handbag collections.

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1. Serena Williams (Estimated net worth: $210 million)

With 23 Grand Slam singles titles — more than any other player in the Open Era and one earned while she was pregnant — as well as Grand Slam 14 women’s doubles titles, two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals to her name, Serena Williams is right up there among the greatest of all time: and she’s not done yet.

The younger of the Williams sisters, she made her professional debut at 14 and when she won the U.S. Open for the first time in 1999, she was the first African American woman of the Open Era to do so. With her many endorsements, TV and movie appearances, stakes in sports teams, fashion collections and even a nail collection for which she became a certified nail technician, she’s the richest female athlete in the world. It’s easy to forget how much prejudice she has faced in her career. She is an outspoken on various social justice issues. She’s also spoken openly about her pregnancy-induced health struggles, including postpartum depression.