Serena Williams is the Only Woman on Forbes’ Athlete List

Serena Williams is the only woman on Forbes’ 2019 Highest-Paid Athletes list, just weeks after she became the first athlete to appear on the Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women list.

What We Know…

  • Williams secured spot 63 on the list for her lucrative tennis career, with her pay listed as $29.2 million, her salary and winnings at $4.2 million and her endorsements totaling $25 million.
  • The top spot on the list is occupied by soccer superstar Lionel Messi, with his pay listed as $127 million, salary and winnings at $92 million and his endorsements at $35 million.
  • The list includes the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. Their earnings and prize money, salary and endorsements listed come from June 2018 and June 2019. Their combined value is totaled at $4 billion, 5% higher than last year.
  • Williams is one of only five tennis players on the list; the majority of athletes on the list have made their wealth through basketball.
  • Williams was also the only woman to appear on this list in 2017. Earlier this month Williams was the only athlete to appear on Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women list with a total net worth valued at $225 million. Williams has also been included in Forbes’ Power Women 2018 list, The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2017 list and Celebrity 100 2014 list.

Williams continues to make history with her meteoric tennis career.