Polish tennis sensation Iga Swiatek has not only secured the prestigious year-end No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings but has also clinched the pinnacle of financial success in the sporting world. Forbes recently unveiled its annual ranking of the highest-paid female athletes for 2023, placing Swiatek at the summit with an estimated earnings haul of $23.9 million for the year.
Forbes’ list, a tradition since 2008, showcases Swiatek alongside illustrious tennis icons such as Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Naomi Osaka as the only tennis players to have claimed the top spot. Impressively, nine out of the top ten athletes on the list were tennis players, with Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu standing as the sole outlier.
Coco Gauff
Securing the third spot on Forbes’ list was rising tennis star Coco Gauff, boasting earnings of $21.7 million, closely followed by Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu with $15.2 million. Notably, despite battling injuries and pregnancy, Naomi Osaka rounded out the top five earners with $15 million.
Forbes’ comprehensive evaluation combines on-court earnings with off-court estimates derived from endorsements, appearances, licensing, memorabilia, and business ventures associated with the athletes. This meticulous assessment method involves consultations with industry insiders to determine annual earnings accrued from various sources.
Interestingly, another sports media company, Sportico, released a different ranking earlier this month, placing Gauff at the top using an alternate criterion for off-court income. Discrepancies emerged as seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams landed at No. 8 in Forbes’ list despite being absent from Sportico’s rankings entirely. Similarly, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez claimed the No. 10 spot in Forbes but was ranked at No. 13 by Sportico.
Swiatek’s ascendancy to the pinnacle of Forbes’ highest-paid female athletes list not only solidifies her status as a dominant force in tennis but also highlights the financial prowess and global appeal of women athletes in today’s sports landscape.
Iga Swiatek in 2023
WWWWLWWWWL Currently ranked no.1, Swiatek played her last match on the 6th of November when she defeated world no.5 Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-0 in the final in Cancun to win her 17th career title.
Currently, during this year the Pole owns a compiled 68-11 record. Iga conquered 6 titles in 2023 in Doha, Stuttgart, French Open, Warsaw, Beijing and Cancun. Swiatek was the finalist in Dubai and Madrid.
Iga Swiatek |
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