Forbes recently released a list of the highest-earning female sportsperson in the world for 2021, and ace badminton player PV Sindhu is one of them.
Forbes has also addressed, how the earnings of female sportspeople are way below that of their male counterparts, as a result of gender pay disparity. Here is a list of the top 10 highest-paid sportswomen.
1. Naomi Osaka
The 24-year-old tennis player from Japan made the top of the list with $57 million. While her on-field earnings were $2.3 million due to her injuries and dropping out of tournaments, her maximum earning came off-court with $55 million through various endorsements and investments including Louis Vuitton and Tag Heuer.
2. Serena Williams
Nobody is surprised with Serena William’s ranking. The 40-year-old tennis star earned a total of $45.9 million. She slipped to the 41st rank in women’s rankings making $0.9 million with six WTA tour tournaments. However, she made $45 million, thanks to her brand endorsements and investments and continues to be in demand for those.
3. Venus Williams
Serena William’s sister, tennis player, Venus Williams, won three matches in 2021. She earned $11.3 million, out of which her on-field earnings were only $0.3 million. The 41-year-old has her own apparel brand, EleVen, and will skip the Australian Open this year, along with her sister.
4. Simone Biles
This 24-year-old gymnast created news when she decided to withdraw from five events in the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. However, her celebrity status as a gymnast prodigy is a prime reason brands approach her. She earned $10.1 million out of which only $0.1 million were from on-field.
5. Garbine Muguruza
The 28-year old Spanish tennis player earned a total of $8.8 million, out of which $2.8 million were her-on-field earnings and the rest came from her endorsements with brands like Nivea, Jaguar and Adidas.
6. Jin Young Ko
This 26-year-old is the highest-earning female golfer on the list. The South Korean golfer earned $7.5 million, out of which $3.5 million were her earnings from playing on the field. She lost the top spot in women’s golf rankings, to Nelly Korda but the investments keep coming in. Her endorsements include LG Electronics, Korean Air.
7. PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is the only Indian sportsperson and the highest-earning badminton player to make the list with an earning of $7.2 million. The last time the 26-year-old was on the list was in 2018. After becoming the first Indian woman with two Olympic medals, she added four sponsors including Byju’s and Bank of Baroda.
8. Ashleigh Barty
She is the only female sportsperson in 2021 to earn the highest in court. Her total earning was $6.9 million, of which she made a whopping $3.9 million on the court. The 25-year-old Australian tennis player is the world’s top-ranked player at present, and is also the reigning Wimbledon champion. She was also vocal about the pay disparity between male and female sportspeople.
9. Nelly Korda
2021 was the year for Nelly Korda, the 23-year old and the youngest sportsperson to make it to Forbes’ top 10. The US golfer won Olympic gold in August and finished as the top-ranked women’s golfer. She was recently named in Forbes’ 2022 30 Under 30 list in the sports category, and has more than ten sponsors. Her earnings were $5.9 million, out of which she earned $2.4 million on the field.
10 Candace Parker
Candace Parker is the only basketball player to make it to the top 10. The 35-year-old made a total of $5.7 million, out of which she made $0.2 million on the court. Most of her money comes from endorsements with brands like Adidas and Band-Aid.
Here’s to hoping more women kill it in sports, like nobody’s business.