Coco Gauff is officially the world’s highest-paid female athlete after earning $23 million in 2023
The 19-year-old earned an estimated $16 million in endorsements alone, leading a group of seven women’s tennis players who landed inside the Top 10 in Sportico’s annual list.
Coco Gauff enjoyed the biggest season of her career in 2023 on the court—highlighted by her breakthrough victory at the US Open, her first Grand Slam title—but she also raked in the deals and endorsements off the court, too.
Sports industry news publication Sportico released its annual list of the top earners on Wednesday, and 19-year-old Gauff took home the top spot among female athletes for the first time.
Amid a season that saw Gauff reach the WTA’s world No. 3 ranking and take home four titles, brands have continued to flock to the fast-rising American—who was also recently named the most marketable women’s tennis player in the world. Gauff recently unveiled a new campaign for Ray Ban’s smart glasses with Meta, adding to a stable of sponsors including Bose, UPS, Barilla and Baker TillyBaker Tilly. She also famously signed with New Balance at 14 and plays with a Head racquet.
Last year, Gauff was featured at No. 8 on Sportico’s list, with $6 million of her estimated $7.7 million total earnings coming from endorsement deals. This year, her $22.7 million haul sent her to the top of the list, with $16 million alone coming from off-court earnings—a massive step up for the 19-year-old Grand Slam winner.
To create its annual list, Sportico relies on “conversations with those familiar with marketing agreements”—likely a player’s agent or a sponsor’s marketing insider—and also factors in “royalties, memorabilia, appearance fees, media and businesses tied to their celebrity.”
The 2023 list continues a trend of tennis’ dominance over the world of women’s sports marketing: It’s one of the few top-flight sports where women receive equal prize money and, as an individual sport with an international footprint, brands enjoy a broader reach. Seven of the Top 10 highest-paid women on Sportico’s list are tennis players, even as newer names like Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu have begun to replace the old guard of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka at the top.
This time Osaka landed at No. 5 with an estimated $15 million, after topping last year’s list and earning a record $55.2 million in total earnings in 2021. The 26-year-old stepped back from tennis in 2023 and was absent during the entire season as she gave birth to daughter Shai in July—she’s now targeting a return to action during the Australian swing.
Osaka features on the list thanks to her endorsements alone, partnering with brands including Nike, Mastercard, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Panasonic and more. She’s listed just behind Emma Raducanu, who herself only played 10 matches this year before shutting down her season due to injury. The 21-year-old Brit brought in $238,000 in winnings and $16 million in endorsements in 2023, with sponsors including Nike, Porsche, Dior, Evian and Vodafone.
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