Top 15 Earning Females Athletes

In the past 20 years female athletes have really made a name for themselves in professional sports. The creation of the WBNA played a big part in showing the country that female athletes could play just as hard and offer an exciting 2 hours of sports just like their male counterparts. Interestingly enough, none of the players on this list, which was created by Forbes Magazine, play for the WNBA. You’ll see the top earning female athletes tend to be tennis stars and some make as much if not more in endorsements as they do playing the actual game.

1.  Maria Sharapova, Tennis Player

At this point in her career Maria Sharapova, the beautiful leggy blonde tennis star, is a household name and instantly recognizable. In 2015 she earned a total of $29.7 million. $6.7M of that came from her actual winnings while $23M came from endorsements. One of her biggest endorsement gigs is for Porsche.

2.  Serena Williams, Tennis Player

 

It’s interesting to note that Serena made this list but sister Venus did not. Wonder what that rivalry is like? In 2015 Serena earned a whopping $24.6M total. Unlike Maria, hsrena’s winnings VS endorsement split was a bit more even with $11.6M being won and $13M being earned bfom brands such as Chase bank. At this point the only thing bigger than her yearly salary are her arms.

3.  Caroline Wozniacki, Tennis Player

Caroline Wozniacki is not only a beautiful Danish tennis star, she is a wealthy beautiful Danish star who was one of the first Scandinavian women to hold a top ranking spot. In 2015 she earned a total of $14.6M, $3.6 of that coming directly from winnings and $11M coming in from endorsements for brands like Godiva chocolates. Mmmm, being wealthy is delicious.

4.  Danica Patrick, Nascar Auto Racing Driver

We all remember when Danica Patrick came onto the Nascar scene. She was young and hot and could beat the boys at driving fast! These days Danica is still beautiful and making a name for herself in the world of racecar driving. In 2015 she earned a total of $13.9M, $7.9M of that coming from race winnings and $6M coming in from endorsements from brands like GoDaddy.

5. Ana Ivanovic, Tennis Player 

Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player who was ranked No. 6 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association as of August 2015. In the same year she earned a total of $8.3M. Unlike some of the other athletes on this list, Ana’s actual winnings were quite a bit less than her endorsement earnings. She won $1.8M while earning $6.5M in endorsements from brands such as the Dubai Duty Free shop.

6. Petra Kvitova, Tennis Player 

Petra Kvitová is a Czech professional tennis player who decided to turn pro back in 2006 when she was only 16-years-old. The 6’0 Kvitova, known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes, made $7.7M in 2015, $5.9 of that coming from tournament winnings and $1.8M coming in from endorsements from brands such as Ritmo Mundo watches.

7. Simona Halep, Tennis Player 

Simona Halep is a Romanian pro tennis player who first broke into the world’s top 50 at the age of 21. In 2013 she won her first 6 WTA titles all in the same calendar year, a feat that hadn’t been achieved since Steffi Graf did it in 1986 with 7 title wins. In 2015 Simona brought in a total of $6.8M, $5.3 in winnings and $1.5M in endorsements from brands like Vodafone telecommunications.

8.  Ronda Rousey, Ufc Mma Fighter

Considering she has risen to fame in only a few short years and it seems like everyone knows who she is, we are surprised Ronda Rousey is so far down on this list. She earned $6.5M in 2015, $3M of that came from her actual fighting winnings and $3.5 coming in from endorsements from Carl’s Jr. fast food.

9. Stacy Lewis, Lpga Golfer 

Stacy Lewis is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Since the beginning of her professional career she has won two major championships – the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women’s British Open in 2013. In 2015 Stacy earned $6.4M, $2.4M of that coming from actual winnings and $4M from endorsements for brands like Bridgestone auto parts.

10. Agnieszka Radwanska, Tennis Player 

Agnieszka “Aga” Radwańska is a Polish pro tennis player who achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 2 back in 2012. She is currently ranked No. 5 by the WTA and earned a total of $6M in 2015, $2M of that in tournament earnings and $4M in endorsements for brands like Workday financial management.