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Many of the highest-paid female athletes in the world can be found playing professional tennis. The sport has also provided several women with a platform to land extremely lucrative endorsement deals and even launch successful businesses. All in all, if you’re a young woman looking to make a fortune in athletics, then learning to play tennis is a great way to go about it.
To illustrate just how fiscally successful these queens of the court truly are, we are going to take a look at the ten wealthiest women to ever play the game.
Justine Henin ($18 Million)
Justine Henin is a retired tennis star out of Belgium who was the number one ranked female singles player for of a total of 117 weeks. She is also known for helping her home country win the Fed Cup back in 2001. As a singles player, the 37-year-old right-hander won every Grand Slam tournament at least once – with the exception of Wimbledon. Henin also captured a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Her accolades were enough to warrant a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.
As one of the top players of her era, Justine Henin was able to amass a net worth of $18 million according to Sportsxm.com.
Martina Hingis ($25 Million)
Martina Hingis is retired tennis player out of Feusisberg, Switzerland. She was one of the sports top stars during the late-90s and early-2000s. In 1997, the Swiss standout became the youngest player to win a grand slam singles tournament and to be ranked number 1 in the world – having accomplished both feats at just 16 years of age. Though she battled with injuries throughout much of her career, Hingis still managed to capture a combined 24 Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles play.
To go with her winnings, Hingis has received a great deal of money from endorsement deals. She also successfully sued one of her sponsors for $40 million for allegedly providing shoes that injured her feet. These days, the Hall of Famer is reportedly worth an estimated $25 million.
Simona Halep $30 Million
At press time, Romania’s Simona Halep is the 6th ranked singles player in the world and recently defeated Serena Williams to win it all at Wimbledon in 2019. The 27-year-old has been ranked number 1 in the world for a total of 64 weeks and has the longest active streak of being ranked inside the top ten as a singles competitor.
Halep's star is clearly on the rise and sponsors have certainly noticed. She has several endorsement deals with high-profile Romanian brands such as Mercdes-Benz Romanian. Halep also inked a deal with Nike back in February of 2018. According to Money, Simona Halep is worth around $30 million.
Angelique Kerber ($30 Million)
31-year-old Angelique Kerber is one of Germany’s top athletes at the moment. The talented left-hander has won every Grand Slam singles tournament except for the French Open. Kerber also managed to capture a silver medal for Germany at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She currently the 12th ranked player in the world, but despite falling out of the top 10, the Olympic medalist is still making plenty of money.
She has already brought in $28,532,857 in prize money (before taxes) throughout her career. Moroever, Kerber also has endorsement deals with luxury brands like Rolex and Porsche. In total, she is reportedly worth an estimated $30 million.
Caroline Wozniacki ($30 Million)
Odense, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki is the first Scandvain woman to hold the number 1 spot as a singles player. The 29-year-old has won a total of 30 WTA titles and won her first Grand Slam in 2018, the Australian Open. The 5-foot-10 right-hander has been one of the top players in women’s tennis for nearly a decade.
Wozniacki has managed to win over $34 million in prize money. She’s also made some cash on the side from modeling for outlets like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Like others on our list, the Danish star has many lucrative endorsement deals and her own line of sunglasses. Based on info provided by Money, Wozniacki is worth a cool $30 million.
Steffi Graf ($30 Million)
German-born tennis sensation Steffi Graf is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time. She is the only female player to win every Grand Slam title at least four times. Graf is also the only player to win a Golden Slam, which means she won all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in a calendar year. The retired tennis legend was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Graf managed to win $21,895,277 in prize money, which is especially impressive given that she played in the 80s and 90s. According to Sportsxm.com, the tennis legend is worth roughly $30 million.
Anna Kournikova ($50 Million)
Anna Kournikova is a retired tennis player out of Moscow, Russia who became something of a pop-culture figure in the late-90s and early-2000s. Her marketable appearance helped make her one of the most common search string on Google, at the height of her popularity. She was the number one ranked doubles player in the world at one point and won a pair of Australian Opens with her partner Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2002 respectively.
Outside of tennis, Kournikova appeared as a trainer on season 7 of The Biggest Loser. The Russian starlet also made a boatload of cash from modeling gigs and endorsement deals, which helped the 38-year-old amass an estimated $50 million in assets.
Venus Williams ($95 million)
Lynwood, California’s Venus Williams has been one of tennis’s brightest stars for well over two decades. The elder sister of Serena Williams became the first Africa-American women to be ranked number 1 in the world as a singles player – a feat she accomplished back in 2002. In total, the 39-year-old has won an impressive 7 Grand Slam singles titles.
Over the course of her career, Venus Williams has won $41,684,052, which is good for second all-time on the earnings list – behind only her sister. She also has $40 million deal with Reebok and makes good money from speaking engagements. Based on info provided by Money, the elder Williams sister is worth $95 million.
Maria Sharapova ($135 Million)
Maria Sharapova was originally born in Nyagan, Russian and won an Olympic silver medal for her home country at the 2012 London games. As a singles player, she has one every Grand Slam tournament and has been ranked number 1 in the world on numerous occasions. At 6-foot-2, Sharapova is one of the tallest players in the history of women’s tennis.
Her height has helped her land lucrative modeling gigs, and she has become the face of several high-profile fashion houses. The Russian star also has her own candy brand, Sugarpova and has been an endorsement magnet over the years. In total, the blonde right-hander is said to worth a whopping $135 million.
Serena Williams ($180 Million)
Serena Williams has born in Saginaw, Michigan and has gone on to become arguably the greated female tennis player in the sport’s history. Willimas has won an eye-popping 23 Grand Slam singles titles and has been ranked number one in the world for a total of 319 weeks. Even at age 37, she is still the 9th ranked player in the world.
Williams is the biggest name in Women’s tennis and makes good money (around $25 million a year) from endorsement deals. Of course, as the all-time leader in prize money – having earned $92,542,816 and counting – Williams was already well on her way to becoming the wealthiest woman on our list. According to Money, the 5-foot-9 superstar is worth $180 – making her the wealthiest female tennis player ever.