The Forbes 2017 list of 'The World's highest paid athletes' was unveiled on Thursday (June 8) and features athletes from 21 countries, representing 11 sports. Among those in the list, tennis ace Serena Williams (35) is the only woman among the 100 highest paid athletes. She is ranked 51st in the list, which is topped by Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Indians too have a reason to celebrate as the cricket captain Virat Kohli is the lone Indian who made it among the world’s 100 highest paid athletes' list.
Williams, who has earned her stripes in the sports fraternity over the decades, made $27 million last year.
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Winner of 23 Grand Slams, Williams has been the world number one in women’s tennis on multiple occasions. The last time she was at the top spot was for 186 weeks — a record for the most consecutive weeks at number one in women’s tennis with Steffi Graf.
Also Read: Serena Williams Talks About Sexism
The American player made a fortune from more than a dozen endorsement partnerships with a variety of brands, including Beats By Dre, Gatorade, JP Morgan Chase, Nike and Wilson, among others, according to Forbes. She also joined the board of SurveyMonkey in May, Forbes reports. Forbes also claims that her career earnings — $84 million — is close to $50 million more than those of any other female tennis player.
On the other hand, Ronaldo topped the list again this year, making $93 million in the last year. Kohli (28) is ranked 89th on the list with a total pay of $22 million, which includes $3 million from salary and winnings and another $19 million from endorsements. "The vast majority of his income, however, comes from one of the sports world's most impressive sponsorships portfolios," Forbes said.
READ: Serena Williams Pens A Post About Women On Instagram
The other prominent names in the list are tennis greats Novak Djokovic (16) and Rafael Nadal (33), along with basketball player Anthony Davis (44) and soccer star Wayne Rooney (70).
Way to go, Serena!
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Also Read: Serena Williams Engaged To Alexis Ohanian
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