Coco Gauff made history in 2024 by becoming the third woman to make over $30 million in athletics in a calendar year, joining other tennis greats, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.
In 2024, Gauff made $30.4 million in total. $9.4 million came from prize money, and the other $22 million came from brand deals, sponsorships, and her second signature shoe with New Balance, which dropped earlier this year. At 20 years old, Gauff is the youngest person on the highest-paid female athlete list.
The WTA ranks Gauff as Number Two in singles tennis and Number one in doubles. She has won nine singles titles, including a US Open title in 2023 and the WTA title earlier this year. A standout athlete since she was fifteen, Gauff was the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the 2019 Wimbledon Championship. In that same tournament, she shocked the world when she beat Venus Williams.
Among the top earners in women’s sports were an impressive five other tennis stars – Iga Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Raducanu.
It was also a big year for Olympic athletes. Competing in the 2024 Summer Games helped gymnast Simone Biles crack the top ten. Biles brought home $11.1 million this year, with $135,000 coming from prize money. The remaining $11 million came from sponsorship deals, a world tour, and revenue from her Netflix specials.
Surprisingly, the second-highest female athlete of the year was Eileen Gu, an Olympic freestyle skier. Though 2024 was not a Winter Olympic year, Gu still raked in an impressive $22.1 million. Just $62,000 came from prize money; the rest came from sponsorships, significant brand partnerships, and modeling contracts.
Professional golfer Nelly Korda also made an appearance on the top ten list. The LPGA star won five straight tournaments earlier this year, earning her $4.4 million in prize money alone. She brought home a whopping $14.4 million in total.
Closing out the top ten, and the only athlete to compete exclusively in a team sport, was basketball phenomenon Caitlin Clark, who brought home $11.1 this year – just slightly less than Biles. The .1 accounts for her $100,000 salary and signing bonus after joining the Indiana Fever. The $11 million came out of sponsorship deals.
