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Coco Gauff Tops Forbes’ 2025 Highest-Paid Female Athletes List
Coco Gauff leads the charge as 2025’s highest-paid female athlete, earning $33 million from tennis and endorsements. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, and Qinwen Zheng are next on the list.
Published
2 weeks ago
on
December 18, 2025
Coco Gauff has done it again. For the second year in a row, the 21-year-old tennis star tops Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, raking in an estimated $33 million over the past 12 months. While her French Open victory in June earned her around $8 million on the court, the bulk of her earnings — $25 million — came from endorsements with brands like New Balance, Bose, Rolex, and Mercedes Benz. That’s the highest off-court income of any female athlete on the 2025 ranking.
Close behind Gauff is World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who earned $30 million thanks to a mix of prize money, including her US Open title defence, and off-court deals with Nike, Audemars Piguet, and Master & Dynamic. Sixth-time major champion Iga Świątek ranks third with $25.1 million, followed by freestyle skier Eileen Gu ($23.1 million) and tennis player Qinwen Zheng ($22.6 million), whose off-court endorsements made up the majority of her earnings despite an elbow injury limiting her season.
Forbes notes that the top 20 female athletes earned a combined $293 million in 2025, a 13% increase from last year, with a record 14 athletes surpassing the $10 million mark. Tennis dominates the list, with half of the top 10 hailing from the WTA Tour. Other notable names include Madison Keys ($13.4 million), Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina (tied at $12.5 million), and Jessica Pegula ($12.3 million).
Gauff’s earnings reflect both her on-court success, including her second Grand Slam singles title, and her extensive portfolio of endorsements.
