The top 10 highest paid female athletes of 2021 accounted for a combined $167 million in pretax earnings according to Forbes.
The figure represents a 23% increase compared to 2020.
Tennis star, Naomi Osaka tops the list at $57.3 million, with just $2.3 million of that coming from prize money.
Osaka’s income distribution is similar to the large discrepancy other athletes saw when comparing on-the-field to off-the-field earnings — especially for the top five athletes.
2. Serena Williams, tennis: $45.9 million ($900,000 on the field)
3. Venus Williams, tennis : $11.3 million ($300,000)
4. Simone Biles, gymnastics: $10.1 million ($100,000)
5. Garbiñe Muguruza, tennis: $8.8 million ($2.8 million)
Golfer Jin Young Ko, badminton star P.V. Sindhu, tennis player Ashleigh Barty, golfer Nelly Korda, and WNBA star Candace Parker round out the list.
Barty was the only one to make more from prize money than endorsements — $3.9 million on the field and $3 million off.
Forbes reported that sponsorships are being spread out to new leagues. This year, Biles and Candace Parker became the first gymnast and basketball player to rank in the top 10 in more than a decade.
