Sport > World > Lists > Earnings > Forbes > Women > 2012

Here are the top 10 paid women athletes from around the world for 2011-12 according to the figures from Forbes Magazine. Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova leads this list again, as she has since 2005.

---

---

Tennis players make up the first four positions, and 7 spots in the top 10. Tennis is certainly the sport to play if you are female. There were just two women in the list of “The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes”, released by Forbes Magazine's in June 2012, and both were tennis players, Maria Sharapova and Li Na.

Sharapova's earnings of 27.1 million dollars between July 2011 and July 2012 ($5.1 million in prize money and another $22 million from sponsors, exhibitions and appearance fees), is still well behind the highest paid male athlete for the same time period boxer Floyd Mayweather who had combined earnings of 85 million dollars (see highest paid men for 2012). See more lists of the World's Highest Paid Women Athletes.

Notes

• The earnings totals (in US dollars) are derived from salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, licensing and endorsement income in the 12 months from May 1, 2011 to May 1, 2012. Taxes or agents' fees are not factored into the figures.

Sources

• From Forbes Magazine's list of "The 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes" published July 2012

---

---

Related Pages

• Other lists of the World's Highest Paid Women Athletes
• Other Sports Illustrated Lists, including the Fortunate 50 and the International 20
• More sporting lists, including the Forbes list of the World's Best Paid Athletes