Highest-Paid Female Athletes: 2026 Guide to Top 10

Coco Gauff is the world’s highest-paid female athlete in the latest complete global ranking, with estimated earnings of $33 million in calendar 2025. Aryna Sabalenka follows at $30 million, and Iga Swiatek ranks third at $25.1 million.

This is a 2026 guide to the newest completed dataset, not a guess at unfinished 2026 income. Earnings combine competition money with endorsements and business activity, before taxes and agent fees.

Top 10 highest-paid female athletes

Rank	Athlete	Sport	Total	On-field	Off-field
1	Coco Gauff	Tennis	$33.0m	$8.0m	$25.0m
2	Aryna Sabalenka	Tennis	$30.0m	$15.0m	$15.0m
3	Iga Swiatek	Tennis	$25.1m	$10.1m	$15.0m
4	Eileen Gu	Freestyle skiing	$23.1m	$0.1m	$23.0m
5	Qinwen Zheng	Tennis	$22.6m	$1.6m	$21.0m
6	Madison Keys	Tennis	$13.4m	$4.4m	$9.0m
7	Nelly Korda	Golf	$13.0m	$3.0m	$10.0m
T-8	Naomi Osaka	Tennis	$12.5m	$2.5m	$10.0m
T-8	Elena Rybakina	Tennis	$12.5m	$8.5m	$4.0m
10	Jessica Pegula	Tennis	$12.3m	$5.3m	$7.0m

The numbers are Forbes estimates for calendar 2025, the latest completed women-only ranking available when checked on 18 August 2026. Ties are preserved.

1. Coco Gauff — $33 million

Gauff earned an estimated $8 million on court and $25 million off court. Her season included a second Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, but sponsorship remains the larger engine.

New Balance anchors a broad commercial portfolio. She also launched Coco Gauff Enterprises as she sought more control over management, media projects and the long-term value of her name.

Her total is slightly below the estimated $34.4 million she made in 2024, yet she remained No. 1 for a second consecutive year.

2. Aryna Sabalenka — $30 million

Sabalenka divided $30 million evenly: $15 million on court and $15 million off. That balance is unusual near the top, where endorsements often overwhelm competition pay.

Her four singles titles included the U.S. Open, and her $15 million prize-money season set a women’s tennis record. Commercial growth then matched that record on the other side of the ledger.

She became only the fourth woman to reach $30 million in a Forbes annual female-athlete ranking.

3. Iga Swiatek — $25.1 million

Swiatek’s estimate comprises $10.1 million on court and $15 million off court. Her first Wimbledon title expanded a résumé already built on clay-court dominance.

Her earnings show tennis’s dual advantage: large individual prizes and a global personal brand that is not shared across a team roster.

The final decimal comes from rounded on-field estimates and should not be mistaken for audited precision.

4. Eileen Gu — $23.1 million

Gu is the highest-ranked non-tennis athlete at $23.1 million. Only about $100,000 is attributed to competition; the remaining $23 million is commercial.

The freestyle skier connects major consumer markets and works across luxury, automotive, electronics and action-sports categories. Her entry is the clearest proof that prize money alone cannot answer “highest paid.”

Roughly 99.6% of her estimated income came away from the slopes.

5. Qinwen Zheng — $22.6 million

Zheng earned an estimated $1.6 million on court and $21 million off court despite an injury-disrupted season.

Olympic gold and enormous recognition in China support more than a dozen partnerships. Her commercial momentum remained strong even as competition income fell.

She and Gu show why access to a major home market can matter as much as global ranking position.

6. Madison Keys — $13.4 million

Keys combines $4.4 million in prize money with $9 million off court. Winning the Australian Open more than seven years after her first major final defined her season.

Her sponsors extend beyond athletic apparel into finance, technology and jewelry. The estimate reflects both one breakthrough championship and years of established credibility.

The $9.2 million fall from Zheng to Keys is the sharpest break inside the top 10.

7. Nelly Korda — $13 million

Korda is the only golfer in the top 10, with $3 million on course and $10 million off course.

She did not repeat her remarkable seven-win 2024 campaign, but endorsement strength held. Golf supplies brands with year-round visibility, premium audiences and extensive equipment and apparel inventory.

Jeeno Thitikul earned more prize money in 2025 but ranked lower overall because Korda’s commercial portfolio was much larger.

8. Naomi Osaka — $12.5 million

Osaka’s $2.5 million on court and $10 million off court put her in a tie for eighth. Her return to the top 20 and a U.S. Open semifinal rebuilt competitive momentum.

Her historical peak remains unmatched: $57.3 million in 2021 is the largest annual total Forbes has recorded for a female athlete.

International recognition sustains her commercial value even when current prize money trails other tennis stars.

8. Elena Rybakina — $12.5 million

Rybakina reaches the same total through a different mix: $8.5 million on court and $4 million off.

Her undefeated WTA Finals run delivered a record $5.235 million event check. More than two-thirds of her earnings came from competition, almost the reverse of Osaka’s split.

The tie warns against reading totals alone. The two athletes built the same estimated income through very different businesses.

10. Jessica Pegula — $12.3 million

Pegula closes the top 10 with $5.3 million on court and $7 million off court. She won titles on three surfaces and qualified for the WTA Finals for a fourth straight year.

New partnerships and a player-led podcast added to her commercial base. Consistency, rather than one dominant tournament, supports both halves of her estimate.

She finished $200,000 below the tied eighth-place pair.

Why tennis dominates women’s earnings

Eight of the top 10 are tennis players. The sport combines:

• Equal prize money at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
• A global calendar and international audience.
• Individual visibility without a helmet or large team roster.
• Apparel, racket, watch and luxury sponsorship inventory.
• Exhibition and appearance opportunities.

Grand Slam equality does not eliminate every tennis pay gap. Smaller events can distribute different prizes, and major men’s team leagues pay salaries far beyond most women’s circuits.

Prize money versus endorsements

“On-field” includes salary, prize money, bonuses and stipends. “Off-field” covers estimated annual cash from endorsements, licensing, appearances, memorabilia and active business interests.

Forbes excludes passive investment income and reports totals before taxes and agent fees. Across the top 20 women, 72% of income came away from competition.

Gauff, Gu and Zheng make that pattern visible. Sabalenka is the rare top earner with an even split.

Where are Caitlin Clark and other basketball stars?

Clark ranks 11th at $12.1 million, including only about $100,000 on court. Sabrina Ionescu is 13th at $10.5 million, Angel Reese 15th at $9.4 million and Paige Bueckers 16th at $9.1 million.

Those figures preceded the WNBA’s much richer 2026 CBA. Our highest-paid WNBA player guide explains the new $1.4 million salary leaders. Endorsements nevertheless remain decisive in a global earnings comparison.

Why no woman made the overall 2026 top 50

Forbes’ separate May 2025-to-May 2026 all-athlete ranking had a cutoff above $53 million. Gauff’s $33 million calendar-year estimate would fall more than $20 million short.

The largest difference is playing pay. NFL, NBA and MLB stars can earn tens of millions in salary before endorsements, while many elite women depend on individual prize money or commercial partnerships.

Because the reporting windows differ, this illustrates scale rather than combining two incompatible lists.

How we built the ranking

We use Forbes’ calendar-2025 methodology because it is the latest complete, consistent global women-only dataset available in August 2026. We did not add partial 2026 prize money to full-year endorsement estimates.

The totals are estimates, not audited income statements. Off-field numbers are rounded to the nearest million and based on industry research; on-field figures are rounded to the nearest $100,000.

For another current salary market, see the highest-paid NHL players, or browse the SportsLook earnings hub.

The latest defensible answer remains Coco Gauff at an estimated $33 million, with endorsements supplying $25 million.