he World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2023

December 21, 2023

The list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes has a new No. 1: 22-year-old Polish tennis star Iga Świątek, who made an estimated $23.9 million in 2023 (before taxes and agents’ fees). Since Forbes introduced the ranking in 2008, Maria Sharapova is the only other woman beyond Williams and Osaka to have claimed the crown, reigning for eight straight years until Williams took over in 2016.

Świątek’s monster year included the women’s singles title at the French Open, plus four new endorsement deals, but it’s also no coincidence that she—like Osaka, Williams and Sharapova before her—plays tennis. Twelve of the world’s 20 highest-paid female athletes, and nine of the top 10, come from the sport, which offers sizable prize money and ample marketing opportunities for female athletes. Forbes