It is almost the end of another year, which means it is time for one of our favorite traditions: poring over Sportico’s list of the highest-paid female athletes of 2025.
For the third consecutive year, Coco Gauff remains the top-paid athlete with $31 million. Additionally, tennis players dominated the list. Four of the top five and ten out of the top 15 earners were tennis players.
However, there were major shakeups. Most notably, our wish for Aryna Sabalenka to get paid more has come true. Sabalenka soared from fifth to a close second, making $30 million.
2025 Highest-Paid Female Athletes
Sabalenka leaped over Iga Swiatek and Qinwen Zheng, both of whom made less money in tournament prize money this year. Skiing legend Eileen Gu remains the only non-tennis player in the top five, but slid from second to fourth.
As Sportico pointed out in its reporting, tennis remains the only major professional sport where women’s pay is comparable to that of their male counterparts. While the WTA Tour still trails the ATP at many tournaments, prize money is the same at the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
Additionally, women are doing better with sponsorships. Six women earned at least $10 million off the court, compared to four active men at $10 million-plus.
Changes From 2024 List
There were other notable shakeups in this year’s list. Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys made major gains, while Naomi Osaka tumbled in the rankings. Emma Raducanu and Jasmine Paolini fell off the list altogether.
Of course, Raducanu has lost key sponsorships over the past year. In April, it was reported that Raducanu lost Vodafone as a sponsor after