Coco Gauff achieved the best overall record of her career in 2024, posting an impressive 54-17 season. Although she fell short of claiming a Grand Slam title, her stardom didn’t take a hit. Instead, Gauff topped the two players above her in the rankings, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, to become the highest-earning woman in all of sports.
Sportico compiled a list of the top 10 highest-earning female athletes, as the year is about to come to an end. Maintaining her #1 position from last year is Gauff, who pocketed a staggering total of $30.4 million.
The young American star wasn’t the top earner on the WTA Tour in terms of prize money. That distinction went to Sabalenka, whose two Grand Slam titles contributed significantly to her $9.7 million winnings, surpassing Gauff by $300,000.
Gauff led the way in off-court earnings among all tennis players, collecting an impressive $21 million. Trailing her in this category were Qinwen Zheng ($15 million) and Swiatek ($13 million), respectively.
The 2024 Highest-Paid Female Athlete list is here! The latest from @kbadenhausen, tennis players dominate the list, with Coco Gauff leading the way with $30.4M in earnings this year.
Check out the full list: https://t.co/UAHvschj4f pic.twitter.com/AURKTeK5Mb
— Sportico (@Sportico) December 4, 2024
Gauff had a relatively slow start to the season, but a strong comeback in the final months significantly boosted her earnings. She claimed $4.8 million for winning the WTA Finals and $1.1 million for her victory at the China Open. This late-season resurgence enabled Coco to surpass her 2023 prize money total of $6.7 million.
This constant improvement should inspire the World No.3 to aim for an even stronger performance and higher earnings in the 2025 season.
Gauff’s improved performance attracted new sponsors
Coco Gauff has been associated with high-profile brands, such as Head and New Balance, since the start of her career. However, her enhanced performance and growing social media following have attracted even more endorsements, including partnerships with Ray-Ban, Bose, Rolex, Carol’s Daughter, and others.
Notably, Gauff has outpaced former World No.1 Swiatek in total earnings over the past two years. However, their rivalry on the court tells a different story. Swiatek has maintained the upper hand, having a winning head-to-head record in both years – 4-1 in 2023 and 2-1 in 2024.
Looking ahead to 2025, Gauff will undoubtedly strive to improve her H2H against Swiatek and retain her #1 spot among the highest-earning female athletes. While tennis dominated that list, four athletes from other sports also made significant earnings.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu is second on the list with $22.1 million. She is followed by golfer Nelly Korda ($14.4 million), gymnast Simone Biles ($11.1 million), and WNBA star Caitlin Clark ($11.1 million), who are 8th, 9th, and 10th, respectively.
