Forbes has published a list of the highest-paid female athletes in 2019 and the first eleven spots are all occupied by women’s tennis players! Earnings taken into account are those from prize money, salaries, bonuses, endorsements and appearance fees between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.
Tennis tournaments provide generous prizes — for example, this year’s Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen will offer $14 million, to be distributed among just a handful of players, where an undefeated singles champion will earn a record-breaking $4.75 million, the biggest prize money check in the history of men’s or women’s professional tennis.