Sportico, the sports business publication, crowned tennis star Coco Gauff the highest-paid female athlete for the third consecutive year on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Gauff earned $31 million—$23 million of which came off the court through partnerships with brands like New Balance, Baker Tilly, Bose, Head, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, and Chase Bank.
She launched Coco Gauff Enterprises in April with talent firm WME to manage her career, following seven years with Roger Federer’s Team8 agency.
WME holds no ownership stake in the business.
Gauff’s ranking, ahead of fellow WTA top-three players Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, underscores tennis as the only major professional sport where women’s pay closely rivals men’s.
While WTA Tour prize money generally lags behind the ATP, earnings are equal at Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events. Off the court, six women earned $10 million or more from sponsorships, compared with four active men. Tennis players also dominated Sportico’s overall list of 15 highest-paid athletes, with only five coming from other sports.
Other notable mentions include Naomi Osaka, who pulled in $12.5 million in combined salary, prize money, and endorsements, with her prize winnings placing her ahead of Simone Biles, who earned $11 million from endorsements, and Venus Williams at $10 million in endorsements and $219,000 in salary and prize winnings.
Osaka climbed from No. 59 to No. 16 in the WTA rankings in 2025, bouncing back after a quiet 2024 following the birth of her daughter.
Her rise included a run to the U.S. Open semifinals. Williams only competed in three events in 2025, but won her first singles match since 2023 and reached the U.S. Open doubles quarterfinals, boosting her prize money to its highest level since 2021.Olympic champion Biles, still on a break from competitive gymnastics, recently released her fifth Athleta collection and endorses brands including Audemars Piguet, Lilly, and Nulo Pet Food. Her Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising, earned an Emmy, and she is partnering with Playmakers Group to launch a new restaurant, Taste of Gold, in her hometown of Houston.
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