A Look at Some of the Richest Women in Sports

Some women who work hard for their money.

The world of sports is as popular today as ever. Although at one time, salaries for all athletes were limited, now they are substantial and increasing in some sports. As a result, more athletes are building impressive levels of wealth. Women are also among these athletes. Forbes just recently published their list of “highest paid female athletes.” These women have made an impact far beyond US gambling news.

● Ana Ivanovic lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas
● Sponsors like Samsung give Yuna over 16 million a year
● Li Na the first Asian to win a Grand Slam title

Most of the women who make up the list are tennis players. Throughout sports history, tennis has always paid higher salaries for women than other sports. Although endorsements have elevated the salaries of male athletes in sports, they tend to account for most of the total earnings for female athletes. An exception of course is the Olympics where participants officially do not earn money and have to make a living through their endorsements.

A golfer and four tennis stars make up the bottom five

Paula Caroline Creamer, American professional golfer, has won 12 tournaments. Two of those tournaments were men’s events. Creamer currently ranks at World number 2 in golf rankings. Although her salary for tournament play is USD 1 million, endorsements with Citizen, Ricoh and Bridgestone Golf puts her total earnings at USD 5.5 million. Last her victory at the HSBC Women’s Championships earned her USD 210,000.

Polish superstar Agnieszka Radwanska is a force in women’s tennis today. As the first Polish player to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the open era, Radwanska is ranked at number 7 by the WTA. She has signed endorsement deals with the Swiss watch manufacturer Rado, car maker Lexus and Babolat and Lotto. All together her total earnings approach USD 7 million.

Although she has won three titles last year, Ana Ivanovic has been celebrated more for her physical beauty than her match play. The Serbian is currently ranked number 6 in the world. Earlier in her career, Ivanovic signed a lifetime endorsement deal with the sporting apparel company Adidas. With her other endorsements included, Ivanovic has earned USD 7.4 million.

Caroline Wozniacki is a tennis player out of Denmark. Although she made the Forbes list last year, her ranking has gone down this year. Making Danish gambling news, Wozniacki achieved the amazing accomplishment of becoming world number 1 without winning a single major title. Her contracts with Adidas, Proactiv, Yonex, Rolex and Sony Ericsson have helped bring Woznicacki USD 10.8 in earnings.

Belarusian tennis star Victoria Azarenka is ranked 20th in the world largely due to injuries this year. Two years ago she had a WTA ranking of two. Normally considered a threat on the tennis court, Azarenka has sealed lucrative sponsorships from Nike, Citizen and Red Bull which allow her to miss a game or so and still earn money. Even injured, Azarenka was able to make USD 11.1 million.

A racecar driver and a figure skater make the top five

Danika Patrick is the second non-tennis player to make “the richest list.” Considered to be one of the most successful women in the history of American open-wheel racing, Patrick’s earnings are as consistent as is her NASCAR racing success. Her popularity since the beginning of her career have attracted sponsors such as Motorola, XM radio and Coca Cola. Her largest endorsement earnings come from web hosting and domain registar company GoDaddy. Danica’s earnings this year equal USD 15 million.

Olympic champion figure skater Kim Yuna made this list last year. The South Korean figure skater made Korean gambling news by winning the gold in 2010 and silver in 2014 Olympics. Having acquired the World Championship titles in 2009 and 2013, Yuna is believed to earn over 16 million annually. Her endorsements with Samsung and Hyundai Motors probably contributed to her overall earnings.

Serena Williams is widely considered one of the greatest female tennis players of her generation. At 21 Grand Slam Singles titles, Serena is on pace to beat the record of 24 set by Margaret Court. Despite lucrative sponsorship deals from Nike, Wilson and Gatorade, Serena is the only female player in the world to earn as much money from endorsements as from her match play. Serena earned USD 22 million last year.

Li Na has always been a strong competitor against Williams and others. Making China gambling news, the Chinese star was the first in her country to as well as Asia to win a Grand Slam Title. As a result of winning her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last year, Na received a large bonus from Nike. With her other sponsors like Mercedes, Rolex and Samsung, Na made a sweet USD 23.6 million.

Maria Sharapova has been one of the highest paid female athletes for a long time. Topping this list twice, her potential for marketing was seen as early as her tennis ability. Although there are three other tennis players on this list that have earned more money through match play, Sharapova’s ranking of world number 2 is still impressive. Most of her earning came from her endorsement deals with Nike, Porsche, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Evian, Head and Avon cosmetics. Sharapova tops the list at USD 24 million.