The highly-anticipated list of this year’s highest-paid athletes is out now, with Forbes releasing it this week. And only one woman made it on there. What’s more, she’s already retired.
Serena Williams, who walked away from tennis after her exit from the US Open last September, was listed at No. 49 after earning $45.3 million last year.
It’s quite likely that there won’t be any women featured in the next list as she probably won’t be included in the 2024 top 50.
Williams has made more than $470 million since she became a professional tennis player in 1995 and she’s mostly been alone when it comes to such rankings. Only three other women have made it into the top 50 since 2012, all of them tennis players.
Naomi Osaka was named in 2017 while Maria Sharapova was listed the following year. Li Na made it on there in 2019.
The highest-paid female athlete outside of Serena this year was Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who was $20.1 million away from the tennis icon.
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Forbes cites lower revenue and fewer branding opportunities in women’s sports as the reason for the disparity between male and female sportspersons. It’s hoped that more money will be pumped into women’s sports over the next few years.
Unless Serena makes a return to the sport soon, the list could be without a female for a long time.
