2021 was an impressive year for female athletes, who, together, tapped a total of $167 million before taxes, according to Forbes estimates. This is a 23% increase over 2020 and up 16% from the previous record of $143.3 million set in 2013. Leading the pack is the tennis star Naomi Osaka, who took in $57.3 million, followed by Serena Williams, who earned $45.9 million.
“Whether it’s a [social media] post players are making to get paid or whether they’re signing endorsement deals, it’s a good space to come into, and it obviously occurred because of all the former players that had come prior,” said retired soccer player Carli Lloyd in an interview with Forbes.
Here’s the top ten:
1) Naomi Osaka
Age: 24
Sport: Tennis
Country: Japan
Total Earnings: $57.3M
On-The-Field earnings: $2.3 million
Off-The-Field earnings: $55 million
2) Serena Williams
Age: 40
Sport: Tennis
Country: U.S.
Total Earnings: $45.9M
On-The-Field Earnings: $0.9 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $45 million
3) Venus Williams
Age: 41
Sport: Tennis
Country: U.S.
Total Earnings: $11.3M
On-The-Field Earnings: $0.3 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $11 million
4) Simone Biles
Age: 24
Sport: Gymnastics
Country: U.S.
Total Earnings: $10.1M
On-The-Field Earnings: $0.1 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $10 million
5) Gabrine Muguruza
Age: 28
Sport: Tennis
Country: Spain
Total Earnings: $8.8M
On-The-Field Earnings: $2.8 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $6 million
6) Jin Young Ko
Age: 26
Sport: Golf
Country: South Korea
Total Earnings: $7.5M
On-The-Field Earnings: $3.5 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $4 million
7) P.V. Sindhu
Age: 26
Sport: Badminton
Country: India
Total Earnings: $7.2M
On-The-Field Earnings: $0.2 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $7 million
8) Ashleigh Barty
Age: 25
Sport: Tennis
Country: Australia
On-The-Field Earnings: $3.9 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $3 million
9) Nelly Korda
Age: 23
Sport: Golf
Country: U.S.
Total Earnings: $5.9M
On-The-Field Earnings: $2.3 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $3.5 million
10) Candace Parker
Age: 35
Sport: Basketball
Country: U.S.
Total Earnings: $5.7M
On-The-Field Earnings: $0.2 million
Off-The-Field Earnings: $5.5 million
Main photo: Naomi Osaka / Wikipedia