Can Coco Gauff become a bigger star in the United States than Simone Biles, Nelly Korda & Caitlin Clark?

Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old tennis player from the United States, has made it to the top of the list of the world's highest-paid female athletes in 2024. She has finished at the top of that list for the second successive year, and in the process became only the third woman, after Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, to exceed $30 million in total income annually.

Coco Gauff's popularity has gone through the roof in the United States

Since her title triumph at the US Open last year, Gauff's popularity in the United States has grown exponentially. The current world No. 3 earned almost $10 million through prize money this year, including $4.8 million by winning the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

However, it is largely her earnings through a lucrative deal with L'Oreal that have helped her earnings shoot up this year. Gauff failed to win the singles title in any of the Grand Slams this year, though she won the doubles title at the French Open. However, her somewhat below-par performances at the Majors do not seem to have had any effect on her popularity and earnings.

Her compatriot and fellow tennis pro, Ben Shelton, has said about Gauff,

"She’s charismatic. Such a great athlete. Has so many qualities out there that resemble a male player. The way she moves and the way she can defend. You see something from her that’s special and different. She plays with a lot of passion. You can tell she cares out there. She’s into it every time she’s out on court. I think that’s something people love".

Gauff's charisma is undeniable and her presence on the court is eye-catching, giving her character and a certain charisma that the women's game has lacked at times in the recent past. Almost no match featuring her is a dull affair.

Off the tennis court, Gauff has starred in an advertisement for the movie "The Marvels" and also appeared on the cover of the famous fashion magazine, Vogue, in April. All of this makes her one of the most prominent athletes in the US.

Meanwhile, other female athletes like Nelly Korda, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles, have all excelled this year, their incomes exceeding $10 million. Korda has won seven titles this year and is the No. 1 female golfer in the world. She has struck lucrative deals with Nike, T-Mobile, and Tumi, and her annual earnings approach $15 million.

Biles and Clark are big names in gymnastics and basketball, respectively. Biles won multiple gold medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and Clark has had a wonderful debut season at WNBA. However, their annual earnings just top $10 million and are considerably less than Gauff's.

Achievement-wise, Gauff is quite a ways behind Biles, who has won 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. However, the 27-year-old American has reached an age at which a gymnast usually experiences a decline in her form. Korda also has arguably more career achievements than Gauff, but while golf is a niche sport, gymnastics does not have a wide audience either, aside from when it features in a quadrennial event like the Olympics.

Tennis is a more global game in terms of popularity than either golf or gymnastics, and Gauff's exploits on the court are likely to attract more attention than Korda and Biles'. Basketball is no doubt a popular sport, but Clark has spent only a solitary season at WNBA, while Gauff turned pro in 2018.

However, Clark's entry into the WNBA has seen viewership records tumble, with a more than 300% increase compared to last year. As basketball is very popular in the US, Clark has a great chance of becoming the most popular female athlete there in the future.

Looking at the big picture, Gauff certainly has the potential to become the biggest female star in US sports in the near future. However, Clark looks set to give her stiff competition in that regard.