Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka are arguably the two most popular tennis players on the WTA Tour today.
Sabalenka and Gauff, ranked first and third respectively, have captured a total of 33 titles between them in their careers.
Six of those have been clinched at Grand Slams, with the Belarusian securing four majors in the past three years, while the American has two to her name since turning professional.
Prove us wrong…
With their success both on and off the court, both Gauff and Sabalenka have reaped plenty of financial rewards.
Indeed, in 2025, the two stars ranked first and second in the list of the highest-paid female athletes on the planet.
The highest paid female athletes in the world during 2025
According to Forbes, no female athlete earned more in 2025 than Gauff, who raked in a total of $33M.
Sabalenka came in at second, having earned $30M, while world number two Iga Swiatek was third with $25.1M.
Incredibly, eight of the top 10 highest-paid female athletes in the world during 2025 were tennis players.
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Chinese-American freestyle skier Eileen Gu was the fourth-highest earner among female athletes last year with $23.1M, while golf star Nelly Korda ranked seventh with $13M.
| Rank | Athlete | 2025 Earnings | Sport |
| 1 | Coco Gauff | $33M | Tennis |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | $30M | Tennis |
| 3 | Iga Swiatek | $25.1M | Tennis |
| 4 | Eileen Gu | $23.1M | Skiing |
| 5 | Zheng Qinwen | $22.6M | Tennis |
| 6 | Madison Keys | $13.4M | Tennis |
| 7 | Nelly Korda | $13M | Golf |
| 8 | Naomi Osaka | $12.5M | Tennis |
| 9 | Elena Rybakina | $12.5M | Tennis |
| 10 | Jessica Pegula | $12.3M | Tennis |
Tennis stars Zheng Qinewen, Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula all ranked inside the top ten.
Eugenie Bouchard explains why female tennis athletes earn so much
Speaking on Tennis Channel, former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard explained why female tennis players earn so much compared to other sports.
She said: “I think it’s just a great sport, and I think playing-wise, it’s the one that is the most similar to the men.
“Obviously, the men are stronger and have bigger serves, but when you play baseline points with men, you are kind of close.
“So I think that closeness equates to the dollars as well, where people want to see this product.”
In terms of prize money earned in 2025 across both the ATP and WTA tours, the top ten was split with five men and five women.
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