Forbes has revealed its 2025 list of the world’s 20 highest-paid female athletes, with WTA Tour stars dominating half of the rankings. Four of the top five earners play on the WTA Tour, led by Coco Gauff, who raked in an estimated $33 million.
Forbes calculated rankings by combining on-court and off-court earnings. On-court income, rounded to the nearest $100,000, included prize money, bonuses, salaries, and stipends, while off-court earnings, rounded to the nearest $1 million, covered endorsements, licensing, appearances, and memorabilia.
Gauff, recently named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in sports, tops the list for the second consecutive year. She earned roughly $8 million on the court thanks to titles at Roland Garros and Wuhan, but the bulk of her $33 million came from endorsements with brands like New Balance, Bose, Rolex, and Mercedes-Benz, totalling $25 million—the highest off-court earnings among female athletes.
Close behind her is World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whose $30 million earnings ranked second. Sabalenka, year-end No. 1 for the second straight year, set a single-season prize money record with $15 million, including her US Open title defence, and matched that with $15 million in off-court deals with Nike, Audemars Piguet, and Master & Dynamic.
Iga Swiatek, who won 62 WTA Tour matches and her first Wimbledon singles title, ranked third with $25.1 million. Zheng Qinwen, limited by an elbow injury that brought her only $1.6 million in prize money, made $21 million off-court through partnerships with Audi, Dior, and Vogue China, totaling $22.6 million and placing her fifth.
Other top-earning players included 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys ($13.4 million), Naomi Osaka ($12.5 million), WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina ($12.5 million), and World No. 5 Jessica Pegula ($12.3 million). Rybakina’s $8.5 million in prize money was bolstered by a $5.235 million Riyadh title payout, the largest in women’s sports history.
Rounding out the top 10 were Amanda Anisimova ($11.3 million) and Jasmine Paolini ($8.3 million), ranking 12th and 17th overall. Freestyle skier Eileen Gu led non-tennis athletes with $23 million, while golfer Kelly Norda ($13 million) and WNBA stars Caitlin Clark ($12.1 million), Sabrina Ionescu ($10.5 million), and Angel Reese ($9.4 million) also featured on the list. All athletes had to be active in the past 12 months; Venus Williams was excluded due to limited appearances in 2025.
