Serena Williams Heads The Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2017, See Full List

Serena Williams won her Open-record 23rd Grand Slam title in January and then shocked the world three months later when she announced she was pregnant at the time. Williams plans to return to tennis at the start of 2018. Serena has more than a dozen corporate partners and her $84 million in career prize money is twice as much as any other female athlete (her sister Venus ranks second at $38 million).

Total earnings: $27 million

Prize money: $8 million

Endorsements: $19 million

2. Angelique Kerber

The German tennis ace secured lucrative bonuses from sponsors Adidas and Yonex for her No. 1 world ranking, US Open win and Wimbledon finals appearance. She also inked five new deals over the past 12 months with SAP,Generali, Rolex, Slim Secrets and bareMinerals.

Total earnings: $12.6 million

Salary/winnings: $7.6 million

Endorsements: $5 million

3. Danica Patrick

 

Patrick has one more year left on her contract at Stewart-Haas, but it is contingent on having a sponsor for her car in 2018. A sponsor is not lined up as of now. Patrick has 10 personal sponsors, including giants like Coca-Cola, Ford and Nationwide. 

Total earnings: $12.2 million

Salary/winnings: $7.2 million

Endorsements: $5 million

 4. Ronda Rousey

Rousey was the headliner at UFC 207 and secured a record-tying $3 million guaranteefor the bout, plus her cut of the 1.1 million pay-per-view buys. She pocketed a sizable check for her role as coach this summer in the reboot of "Battle of the Network Stars." Next up: a wedding to fellow MMA fighter Travis Browne and a filming Mile 22 alongside Mark Wahlberg.

Total earnings: $11 million

Salary/winnings: $8 million

Endorsements: $3 million


5. Venus Williams

Williams has her own apparel line, Eleven, so her endorsement portfolio lacks the big Nike/Adidas deal of other top players. But Williams is still a big draw at 37 and commands hefty fees for tournaments and exhibitions. She is also a hit on the speaking tour with six-figure checks for revelationsaround her two decades in tennis, her fight for equal pay and competing with the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome.

Total earnings: $10.5 million

Salary/winnings: $3.5 million

Endorsements: $7 million


 6. Garbiñe Muguruza

Muguruza reached a career-high rank of No. 2 in the world last summer after her 2016 French Open title. She added a second Grand Slam winthis July at Wimbledon. The $2.8 million in prize money and sponsor bonuses from Wimbledon will be added to her haul next year (our earnings cutoff is June 1).

Total earnings: $7.7 million

Salary/winnings: $4.2 million

Endorsements: $3.5 million


7. Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki made five tournament finals during the first seven months of 2017, but failed to win any of them. The former No. 1 player does have 25 WTA titles to her credit during her career. Her current endorsement portfolio includesAdidas, Rolex, Usana, Babolat and State Drinks. Her lucrative pact with Adidas expires at the end of the year.

Total earnings: $7.5 million

Salary/winnings: $2.5 million

Endorsements: $5 million

 8. Agnieszka Radwanska

Radwanska spent most of 2016 ranked in the top 3 in the world, but has dropped to No. 10 this year. She replaced her racket deal with Babolat for Srixon and a pay bump. Other new deals include Polish oil firm Lotos and cosmetic company Inglot. Her $26.5 million in prize money ranks fifth all-time.

Total earnings: $7.3 million

Salary/winnings: $3.3 million

Endorsements: $4 million


9. Eugenie Bouchard

Bouchard's ranking has plummeted into the 70s, but she remains one of the most marketable players in the sportthanks to her good looks and robust social media presence. She has a multi-million dollar deal with Nike and did renewals with Coca-Coca, Rogers and Aviva this year. She also added Colgate to her endorsement portfolio. Bouchard appeared in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue in February.

Total earnings: $7.1 million

Salary/winnings: $0.6 million
 
Endorsements: $6.5 million


 10. Simona Halep

Halep has ranked in the top 10 for nearly 200 weeks. It is the longest active streak in women's tennis. The Romanian-born star signed a multi-year deal with Mercedes-Benz Romania this year. Her biggest deal is with Adidas.

Total earnings: $6.2 million

Salary/winnings: $4.7 million

Endorsements: $1.5 million

Source: Forbes