- Coco Gauff made an appetizing $30.4 million in 2024.
- Four tennis players have been ranked in the list that also has Freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
- The earnings comprise of the prize money, bonuses, endorsements, Olympic Games medal payouts and salaries that athletes got in the 2024 season.
Coco Gauff has had an inspiring rise to become one of the best tennis players in the world since making her breakthrough in 2023.
Gauff, whose tennis idols are the Williams’ sisters Venus and Serena, had good runs in several tournaments in the recently ended season including at the Australian and Wimbledon Opens.
The prize money that Gauff accumulated from these championships alongside the various endorsement deals she has landed so far, has made her become the highest earning female athlete in 2024.
According to a report published by Sportico, the 20-year-old tops the list with a whopping $30.4 million (approximately Ksh 3,900,000,000 as per the current exchange rate).
The mouthwatering amount has made her become the third sportswoman in history to earn over $30,000,000 in a year, after Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Serena.
Click here to register as a SportPesa Customer
Besides Gauff, four other professional tennis players have made it to the list that also has Chinese Freestyle skier Eileen Gu.
Gu occupies the second position having amassed $22.1 million (approximately Ksh 2,900,000,000) this year slightly ahead of Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, who made $21.4 million (approximately Ksh 2,700,000,000).
Meanwhile, Qinwen and Sabalenka complete the top five list of the highest-earning female athletes of 2024 with $20.6 million (approximately Ksh 2,600,000,000) and $17.7 million (approximately Ksh 2,200,000,000) respectively.
Although Gauff started making headlines at a tender age, she had to wait until 2023 before securing her maiden Grand Slam title.
She did so at the U.S Open, where she came from a set down to hammer Belarusian sensation Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in an epic clash that was played at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Her latest high-profile victory came at the 2024 WTA finals held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she produced a thrilling performance to overcome China’s Zheng Qinwen and in the process won over $4.8 million in prize money.
ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal announces retirement from professional tennis in November 2024