The top 10 highest-paid female athletes list by Forbes for 2021 includes five Women's Tennis Association (WTA) stars, demonstrating the significant upward progress for women in sports. Badminton player PV Sindhu was ranked No. 7 with $7.2 million in total earnings and Naomi Osaka, a tennis player, topped the list.
According to Forbes latest estimates, the world's 10 highest-paid female athletes earned a combined $167 million before taxes in 2021, a 23 per cent rise over 2020 and a 16 per cent increase over the previous high of $143.3 million established in 2013.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka is at the top, with a total of $57.3 million, certainly a calendar-year record for a female athlete. Serena Williams comes in second with $45.9 million.
Here are the ten highest paid female athletes from 2021 :
- Tennis, Age: 24, Japan, Total Earnings: $57.3M
Naomi Osaka's pretax earnings of $57.3 million comes from her ten brand partners in the last year and a half, including Louis Vuitton, Sweetgreen, and Tag Heuer. In recent months, the 24-year-old athlete has acquired financial shares in virtual reality startup StatusPRO and plant-based chicken manufacturer Daring Foods. She also released a collection of NFTs on Tom Brady's Autograph platform and launched a cosmetics line called Kinl.
2. SERENA WILLIAMS
- Tennis, Age: 40, U.S., Total Earnings: $45.9M
Serena Williams, despite the fact that the 40-year-old played in only six WTA Tour tournaments and fell to 41st in the women's rankings—her lowest since returning to tennis in 2018 after the birth of her daughter—she continues to be a big draw for advertisers, partnering with Nike, Gatorade, and, most recently, DirecTV. She was an executive producer on the 2021 film King Richard, which is based on her father. Her company, Serena Ventures, has invested in over 60 startups.
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3. VENUS WILLIAMS
- Tennis, Age: 41, U.S, Total Earnings: $11.3M
Venus Williams in recent years had known for her relationship rather than her tennis, however the 41-year-old has a profitable side business doing appearances and giving keynote talks. She owns a clothing line, EleVen, which has cooperated with K-Swiss, and she was an executive producer on the film King Richard alongside her sister Serena.
4. SIMONE BILES
- Gymnastics, Age: 24, U.S, Total Earnings: $10.1M
Simone Biles withdrew from five events before returning to earn a bronze on the balance beam. Despite this, the 24-year-old had already cemented her place in gymnastics history, and her message of perseverance seemed to resonate with brands. In August, she teamed up with Autograph to release NFTs, and in October, she joined mental-health firm Cerebral as "chief impact officer." She was also the face of the Gold Over America Tour, a cross-country post-Olympics gymnastics tour with the initials GOAT—a reference to her status as the sport's greatest of all-time.
5. GARBIÑE MUGURUZA
- Tennis, Age: 28, Spain, Total Earnings: $8.8M
Garbie Muguruza's recent two seasons, even factoring her runner-up finish at the 2020 Australian Open, have been rather disappointing after a strong run from 2015 to 2017. However, in 2021, she recovered her form, winning three events and rose to No. 3 in the women's tennis rankings, resulting in hefty sponsor incentives. Along with Adidas and Babolat, the 28-year-old Spaniard has added Jaguar and Nivea to her impressive list of sponsorships.
6. JIN YOUNG KO
- Golf, Age: 26, South Korea, Total Earnings: $7.5M
Jin Young Ko lost her No. 1 ranking to Nelly Korda after nearly two years at the top, but she earned a nice consolation reward with a win in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November, earning $1.5 million and LPGA Player of the Year honours. Despite the fact that she doesn't have an equipment deal and prefers a variety of brands, the 26-year-old can count on significant sponsorship from companies in her home country of South Korea, which is known for its golfing prowess. Her collaborators include LG Electronics, Korean Air, Jeju SamDaSoo mineral water, and Rejuran skincare goods.
- Badminton, Age: 26, India, Total Earnings: $7.2M
Although P.V. Sindhu is almost unknown in the United States, the 26-year-old badminton champion is extremely popular in India and has previously placed in the top 10 of list in 2018. She followed up her silver medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 with a bronze in Tokyo last year, making her the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. Since coming home, she has added four new sponsors, including ed-tech firm Byju's and used-car marketplace Spinny, to her existing partners Li-Ning sportswear and India's Bank of Baroda.
- Tennis, Age: 25, Australia, Total Earnings: $6.9M
Ashleigh Barty, the world's top-ranked player and the reigning Wimbledon winner, earned the most money on the court in 2021. She won the Western & Southern Open outside of Cincinnati in August, and the 25-year-old, recently secured a sponsorship contract with Marriott Bonvoy, served as a reminder of the financial discrepancies that still exist in some parts of the sport. She won $255,220 for her triumph, while Alexander Zverev, the men's champion at the same tournament, took home $654,815.
9. NELLY KORDA
- Golf, Age: 23, U.S., Total Earnings: $5.9M
Nelly Korda won her first major title at the Women's PGA Championship in June, she also won Olympic gold in August, and finished 2021 as the top-ranked female golfer in the world. The 23-year-old, who was just included in "Forbes' 2022 Under 30" list in the sports category, has over ten sponsors, including Hanwha Q Cells, a solar cell producer, and UKG, a workforce management tech business.
10. CANDACE PARKER
- Basketball, Age: 35, U.S., Total Earnings: $5.7M
Candace Parker, who just won a WNBA title with the Chicago Sky, relies on endorsements to augment her income, partnering with companies like Adidas, Band-Aid, Capital One, and CarMax, to name a few. In fact, during the length of her 14-year WNBA career, her annual off-court earnings have been more than double her entire playing income. Parker also has also a job with Turner Sports as an NBA analyst, which was extended last year.
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