Serena Williams earned $28.9M over the past 12 months, making her the "world’s highest-paid female athlete over that span, unseating Maria Sharapova, who had held the title the past 11 years," according to Kurt Badenhausen of FORBES. Williams "added a new deal with JPMorgan Chase last year to be one of the faces of Chase’s Mastery campaign, which highlights the bank’s digital products." Chase renewed its deal in '16 for a campaign that also features Warriors G Stephen Curry. Williams’ '15 tennis season "included a trio of Grand Slam titles." The wins and year-end No. 1 ranking "triggered lucrative bonuses from sponsors." She also "banked several million dollars through appearance fees." Williams now counts more than a dozen brands in her endorsement portfolio, including Audemars Piguet, Beats Electronics, Burlei, Delta Air Lines, IBM, Kinder Joy, Mini and Wheels Up. Williams also "has equity deals with the Home Shopping Network and Mission Athletecare, as well as a small stake" in the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Sharapova "has been in the news" for testing positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open in January. Sponsors "ran for cover, with Tag Heuer ending discussions on a renewal for a deal that expired in December." American Express "did not pick up the option year on her deal" signed in '15. Nike and Porsche also "suspended promotional plans with the Russian-born player." However, Nike, Head and water company Evian yesterday said they will continue to support Sharapova despite the ban. Sharapova’s off-court income is down only $3M over the last year to $20M since she "receives much of her comp at the end of the year from sponsors" (FORBES.com, 6/6).
| RANK |
PLAYER |
SPORT |
INCOME |
| 1 |
Serena Williams |
Tennis |
$28.9M |
| 2 |
Maria Sharapova |
Tennis |
$21.9M |
| 3 |
Ronda Rousey |
MMA |
$14.0M |
| 4 |
Danica Patrick |
Auto Racing |
$13.9M |
| 5 |
Agnieszka Radwanska |
Tennis |
$10.2M |
| 6 |
Caroline Wozniacki |
Tennis |
$8.0M |
| 7 |
Garbine Muguruza |
Tennis |
$7.6M |
| 8 |
Ana Ivanovic |
Tennis |
$7.4M |
| 9 |
Victoria Azarenka |
Tennis |
$6.6M |
| 10 |
Eugenie Bouchard |
Tennis |
$6.2M |
CREAM OF THE CROP: FORBES' Badenhausen noted La Liga club Real Madrid MF Cristiano Ronaldo "is the world’s highest-paid athlete," with earnings of $88M over the past 12 months "from salary, bonuses and endorsements." Ronaldo is "only the second team athlete after Michael Jordan to rank as the top-paid since Forbes began tracking athlete earnings" in '90. The three-time FIFA player of the year "is a marketing juggernaut," earning $32M off the pitch after signing a contract extension with Nike last year worth $13M a year. La Liga club FC Barcelona F Lionel Messi "ranks No. 2" with earnings of $81.4M. Cavaliers F LeBron James ranks third with total earnings of $77.2M and "leads 18 basketball players on the list." Tiger Woods has "landed the No. 1 spot 12 times, while boxer Floyd Mayweather ranked first three of the past four years" (
FORBES.com, 6/8).
