The 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes of 2025: A New Financial Era for Women’s Sports

The year 2025 is reinforcing a major shift in global sport, with women athletes commanding unprecedented financial power and cultural influence. The past year saw a record 11 female athletes earning more than $10 million each, surpassing every previous benchmark and proving the accelerating commercial momentum behind women’s sports.

Tennis continues to dominate the highest-earners list, but 2025 is also seeing elite figures emerge from gymnastics, golf, freestyle skiing, basketball, football and even badminton. Endorsements remain the engine driving financial growth, and brands across luxury, tech, beauty and lifestyle continue investing heavily in female talent with worldwide reach.

Below is the updated 2025 look at the highest-earning women in sport, based on the most recent year-end totals, and the athletes shaping the new economic frontier of women’s athletics.

1. Coco Gauff – Total Earnings: $34.4 Million

Coco Gauff enters 2025 as one of the most influential athletes on the planet. Her 2024 season cemented her global star power, culminating in her role as co-flag bearer for Team USA at the Paris Olympics, a symbolic recognition of her impact on and off the court.

She delivered major victories at the China Open and the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, the latter earning her an enormous $4.8 million prize — among the largest payouts in women’s tennis history.

Gauff’s endorsements surged again, with Fanatics, Carol’s Daughter and Naked Juice expanding her presence across beauty, wellness and lifestyle sectors. Her combination of youth, charisma and dominance ensures she begins 2025 as the definitive face of women’s tennis and a marketing powerhouse.

2. Iga Swiatek – Total Earnings: $23.8 Million

Iga Swiatek’s 2024 season was turbulent, yet commercially strong. After losing her 50-week hold on the world No.1 ranking, parting ways with her long-time coach and serving a one-month suspension in late 2024, Swiatek enters 2025 with renewed purpose.

Her sponsorship portfolio remains elite, strengthened by major deals with Lego and Lancome. Swiatek’s fierce competitive identity, combined with her global appeal, ensures she remains one of the highest-earning athletes in the world as she prepares for a pivotal 2025 season.

3. Eileen Gu – Total Earnings: $22.1 Million

Eileen Gu continues to redefine the commercial potential of winter sports. With her 16th World Cup victory tying the historic record for freestyle skiing, Gu’s 2024 season elevated her into one of the most marketable athletes in global sport.

Her unique cultural position — San Francisco-born, competing for China — brings worldwide attention and massive brand value. Luxury partnerships with Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Porsche ensure she remains a global ambassador for sport, fashion and youth culture entering 2025.

Eileen Gu

4. Qinwen Zheng – Total Earnings: $20.6 Million

Qinwen Zheng’s rise remains one of the most compelling stories going into 2025. Her breakthrough 2024 season, which included a run to the Australian Open final and Olympic singles gold in Paris, has positioned her as one of tennis’s next major global icons.

Endorsements with Audi and Lancome further solidified her commercial ascent. Zheng’s trajectory suggests she could break into the top three earners by the end of 2025 if her momentum continues.

5. Aryna Sabalenka – Total Earnings: $18.7 Million

Aryna Sabalenka enters 2025 as one of the strongest brands in tennis. With Grand Slam wins at both the Australian Open and US Open in 2024, she reclaimed the world No.1 ranking and earned a WTA-leading $9.7 million in prize money.

Her endorsement portfolio expanded to include Master & Dynamic and Audemars Piguet, adding to long-standing partnerships with Nike and Leaf Trading Cards. Her commanding presence and relentless consistency make her one of the most valuable athletes in global sport.

6. Naomi Osaka – Total Earnings: $12.9 Million

Naomi Osaka’s 2024 comeback season, following the birth of her first child, set her up for a major 2025 surge. She played 19 tournaments, rising from world No.833 to No.58 — a remarkable climb.

Off the court, her production company Hana Kuma continued expanding, including development of a new anime series featuring Osaka as a voice actor. Her partnerships with Nike, TAG Heuer and Louis Vuitton remain among the most coveted in all of sport.

Even without peak competitive performance, Osaka’s marketability guarantees her a top-earner spot moving into 2025.

7. Emma Raducanu – Total Earnings: $12.9 Million

Emma Raducanu begins 2025 rebuilding her competitive form, but her commercial appeal remains extraordinarily strong. Despite ongoing injuries and inconsistent results, her endorsements with British Airways, Dior and HSBC continue to deliver significant income.

Her ability to maintain global visibility ensures she stays among the top earners and leaves the door open for a financial leap if her competitive results improve this season.

8. Nelly Korda – Total Earnings: $12.5 Million

Nelly Korda dominated the LPGA Tour in 2024 with seven victories, including an unprecedented five-win streak. Her $4.4 million in prize money set an LPGA record at the time.

Entering 2025 as the world’s top female golfer, Korda’s endorsement base — including a major partnership with Tumi — continues to grow. She remains a defining figure in women’s golf and a driver of its expanding commercial landscape.

9. Venus Williams – Total Earnings: $12.1 Million

Venus Williams, at 44, remains a global icon. She competed sparingly in 2024, but her financial power endures through entrepreneurship, endorsements and legacy-driven projects.

Her AI interior-design platform, Palazzo, and her involvement in Barbie’s 65th anniversary campaign highlight her cultural versatility. Williams enters 2025 as both an active competitor and an influential business figure.

Venus Williams

10. Simone Biles – Total Earnings: $11.2 Million

Simone Biles enters 2025 after one of the most remarkable returns in sports history. Her three gold medals and one silver at the Paris Olympics reestablished her as the world’s dominant gymnast.

Her Netflix series Simone Biles Rising and her Gold Over America Tour continue to build her brand as a global inspiration. Biles remains one of the most beloved and financially impactful athletes in the world.