Tennis Again Tops Highest-Paid Women Athletes: Gauff ($31M), Sabalenka ($30M)

By Barry Janoff

Photo: WTAUPDATED December 20, 2025: Forbes Top Ten highest-paid sportswomen in 2025

1. Coco Gauff - $33 million
2. Aryna Sabalenka - $30 million
3. Iga Swiatek - $25.1 million
4. Eileen Gu - $23.1 million
5. Qinwen Zheng - $22.6 million
6. Madison Keys - $13.4 million
7. Nelly Korda - $13 million
8. Naomi Osaka - $12.5 million
9. Elena Rybakina - $12.5 million
10. Jessica Pegula - $12.3 million

December 3, 2025: The Hologic WTA Tour has been upping the ante in prize money, and it shows in the list of the Highest Paid Women Athletes in 2025, with Coco Gauff, Aryna Salalenka and Iga Swiatek No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

Tennis players comprise ten of the Top 15, consistent with 2024 when seven of the Top Ten highest-paid women athletes were from the WTA..

Gauff earned a hefty $31 million in 2025, $8 million from prize money and $23 from endorsements, according to a new report from Sportico. She won the French Open Grand Slam, earning $2.89 million, and the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open.

She also launched her own management firm in April 2025, Coco Gauff Enterprises, with support from WME. 

Endorsements include New Balance, Barilla, L'Oréal (Carol's Daughter), Rolex, UPS, Head, Emirates Airlines, Baker Tilly, Bose, flyExclusiv and Naked Juice. Investments include Unrivaled presented by Samsung Galaxy, the women’s 3x3 pro hoops league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

Gauff also topped the list of Highest Paid Women Athletes in 2024 with $34.4 million in combined prize money and endorsements, and 2023 ($30.4 million), according to Forbes.

Sabalenka, ranked No. 1 in the world by the WTA, finished No. 2 in income this past year with $30 million, including $15 million in endorsements and $15 million in prize money. The latter figure broke a single-season WTA record set by Serena Williams in 2013, when she won $12,385,572 in prize money. (See full list below.)

With $45,175,621, Sabalenka has the second-most career prize money in WTA history to date, behind Serena's $94,816,730. Swiatek is currently in third place with $43,640,490, according to Tennis Channel.

Novak Djokovic is the all-time pro tennis leader with $21,146,145 inn 2015.

At the WTA Finals, Sabalenka took home $2.6 million for coming in second behind Elena Rybakina, who won $5.235 million, which the WTA said was the biggest prize money payout in women's sporting history.

Sabalenka this past season also won $5 million for winning the U.S. Open; $1.2 million and $1.4 million for runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and the Roland Garros French Open, respectively; and $1.1 million each for her WTA 1000 victories at the Miami Open and Madrid Open.

Swiatek finished No. 3 this year in earnings at $23.1 million, $10.1 million in prize money and $10 million in endorsements.

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu came in No. 4 as the highest-paid non-tennis player with $23 million in earnings, virtually all from endorsements. She currently is preparing to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

Photo: GatoradeWNBA star Caitlin Clark is No. 6 on the list at $16 million, according to Sportico. She earns just over $338,000 via her four-year deal with the Indiana Fever, in which she will be entering her third season in 2026.

Her income is endorsement-heavy, including an eight-year $28 million deal with Nike and such other alliances as Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson, Panini, Hy-Vee, Xfinity, Gainbridge and Lilly 

Venus Williams, 45, retuned to WTA competition in July 2025 at the Mubadala Citi DC Open after not competing at the professional level for 16 months. Her place on the list at $10 million was virtually all from endorsements. 

Tennis players among the Top 15 Highest Paid Women Athletes in 2025 also include No. 5. Zheng Qinwen. No. 8. Madison Keys, No. 9. Rybakina, No. 10. Naomi Osaka, No. 12. Amanda Anisimova, No. 13. Jessica Pegula and No. 14. Venus Williams.

By comparison, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete in the world this past year, taking in $275 million in salary and endorsements, according to Forbes.

All of the Top Ten highest-paid athletes in the world, all men, this past year each earned more than $100 million. No female athlete made the Top 50 list.

The Top 15 Highest Paid Women Athletes 2025

1. Coco Gauff tennis: $31 million

2. Aryna Sabalenka tennis: $30 million

3. Iga Swiatek tennis: $23.1 million

4. Eileen Gu freestyle skiing: $23 million

5. Zheng Qinwen tennis: $19 million

6. Caitlin Clark WNBA: $16 million

7. Nelly Korda golf: $13.8 million

8. Madison Keys tennis: $13.4 million

9. Elena Rybakina tennis: $12.6 million

10. Naomi Osaka tennis:  $11 million

11. Simone Bules gymnastics: $11 million

12. Amanda Anisimova tennis: $11 million

13. Jessica Pegula tennis: $10.5 million

14. Venus Williams tennis: $10 million

15. Jeeno Thitikul golf: $10 million

Source: Sportio

Top Ten Highest Single-Season Prize Money Totals In WTA History

1. $15,008,519: Aryna Sabalenka, 2025

2. $12,385,572: Serena Williams, 2013

3. $11,307,587: Ashleigh Barty, 2019

4. $10,582,642: Serena Williams, 2015

5. $10,136,615: Angelique Kerber, 2016

6. $10,112,532: Iga Swiatek, 2025

7. $9,875,525: Iga Swiatek, 2022

8. $9,729,260: Aryna Sabalenka, 2024

9. $9,353,847: Coco Gauff, 2024

10. $9,317,298: Serena Williams, 2014

Source: Tennis Channel

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