Coco Gauff Leads the Pack: The Highest-Paid Female Athletes of 2025

If you thought the wage gap in sports was going to keep female athletes from securing the bag in 2025, think again. The numbers are in, and they are absolutely staggering. We are talking about a combined $249 million earned by the top 15 women in sports this year alone. To put that in perspective, the cutoff just to make this exclusive list jumped from $6.7 million last year to a cool $10.1 million this year.

While we are seeing massive strides in basketball, soccer, and even skiing, let’s be real for a second: if you want to be rich in women’s sports, pick up a racket. Tennis continues to absolutely dominate the financial landscape, claiming 10 of the top 15 spots. But sitting comfortably at the top of the mountain for the third year in a row? That would be the 21-year-old phenomenon, Coco Gauff.

Gauff Takes the Crown (Again)

It is honestly wild to think that Coco Gauff is still only 21 years old. It feels like she has been around forever, mostly because she’s been cashing checks like a veteran since she was a teenager. Gauff raked in an estimated $31 million in 2025.

Here is the kicker, though: only $8 million of that came from actually playing tennis (which includes her massive French Open win). The other $23 million? That comes from being a marketing juggernaut. Between her massive deal with New Balance—which she signed at 14, by the way—and partnerships with Bose, Rolex, and even a new line with Miu Miu, Gauff is essentially a walking corporation. She even launched her own agency, Coco Gauff Enterprises, because why pay someone else to manage your empire when you can just do it yourself?

Sabalenka Breaks Records on the Court

Right on Gauff’s heels is her fiercest rival, Aryna Sabalenka, who pulled in $30 million. But the way she made her money is a little different. While Gauff is the queen of endorsements, Sabalenka is the queen of the court.

Sabalenka earned a ridiculous $15 million in prize money alone this year. She literally broke the single-season record previously held by the GOAT herself, Serena Williams. Sabalenka won the U.S. Open and two WTA 1000 tournaments, proving that you can still get rich purely by being better than everyone else at your sport. However, despite that on-court dominance, she still fell just $1 million short of Gauff’s total earnings.

The Caitlin Clark Effect

We have to talk about the non-tennis athletes, specifically Caitlin Clark. Everyone knew she was going to be big, but her financial breakdown is genuinely hilarious in a “society is broken” kind of way.

Clark comes in at number six on the list with $16.1 million. Her WNBA salary? A measly $114,000. That means she made $16 million from endorsements—thank you, Nike and Gatorade—and barely six figures from her actual job. It highlights just how much heavy lifting endorsements are doing for female athletes in team sports compared to individual sports like tennis or golf.

Then there is Eileen Gu, the freestyle skier who is basically printing money. She barely competed this year due to injuries (earning just $20k in prize money), but still hauled in $23 million from sponsors. That is the power of having a global brand that spans both the U.S. and China.

The Legacy Stars Are Still Here

It is not just about the new generation, though. Venus Williams is 45 years old, played barely any matches, and still made $10.2 million, landing her at number 14. That is the definition of legacy wealth. Simone Biles also cracks the list at number 11 with $11 million, proving that gymnastics can pay the bills if you are literally the greatest to ever do it.

The Full 2025 Rich List

Here is how the top earners stacked up this year. Note how Gauff and the tennis world continue to hold the line against the rising tide of other sports.

• Coco Gauff (Tennis) – $31 Million
• Aryna Sabalenka (Tennis) – $30 Million
• Iga Swiatek (Tennis) – $23.1 Million
• Eileen Gu (Skiing) – $23 Million
• Zheng Qinwen (Tennis) – $20.6 Million
• Caitlin Clark (Basketball) – $16.1 Million
• Nelly Korda (Golf) – $13.8 Million
• Madison Keys (Tennis) – $13.4 Million
• Elena Rybakina (Tennis) – $12.6 Million
• Naomi Osaka (Tennis) – $12.5 Million
• Simone Biles (Gymnastics) – $11 Million
• Amanda Anisimova (Tennis) – $10.8 Million
• Jessica Pegula (Tennis) – $10.5 Million
• Venus Williams (Tennis) – $10.2 Million
• Jeeno Thitikul (Golf) – $10.1 Million

The takeaway for 2025? Women’s sports are booming, salaries are slowly creeping up, but if you want to top the list, you better have a killer serve—or a killer agent like Coco Gauff.