Comparing Serena Williams' career earnings with Simone Biles, Nelly Korda, Megan Rapinoe & other top-earning athletes of all time

Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players both in terms of the number of titles won and records created, and the income that accompanied the same.

The former World No.1 sought retirement from tennis in 2022, after a more than two-decade-long career which she ended with a record of 23 Grand Slams, the most to have been won by any woman in the Open Era and the second most overall behind Novak Djokovic (24).

In terms of the business of sports, owing to the number of tournaments played and subsequently the prize money earned, Williams is well ahead of her contemporaries. Therefore, by the time she hung her racquet, she had earned $95 million in prize money (via Forbes) and currently has an estimated net worth of $300 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) which includes her association with brands such as Nike and Kraft Foods along with her own business endeavours.

While Serena Williams does represent the journey of a successful tennis player, regardless of gender, if one extends the conversation to other sports, it is hard to deny that female tennis players are much ahead of their counterparts who represent other sports.

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Serena Williams and other top-earning female athletes

Despite being retired, Serena Williams enjoys the status of being one of the richest female tennis players of all time. Even though her on-court earnings are practically null, there is still a while for the present generation of tennis players to match up to the record set by the American, both in terms of the number of victories and the money that comes along with the same.

Williams was second to Naomi Osaka, another tennis player, in Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid female athletes in 2022. However, while being absent from the tennis court in 2023, current World No.1 Iga Swiatek topped the same list when the year ended but with a $10 million net worth (via Celebrity Net Worth) and a lot more on-court experience anticipating the Polish, there is still a while before one starts comparing her with Williams in the said category.

However, extending the conversation to other sports, in the case of top-earning athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles who happens to be Williams' compatriot, the Olympic gold medalist has a net worth of $16 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) and earned $100,000 in prize money (via Forbes). It is significantly less compared to Williams, who retired with $95 million.

Similarly, another one of Serena Williams' compatriots and golfer, Nelly Korda has an estimated net worth of $10 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) and $1.5 million (via Forbes) as career earnings, again significantly less compared to the tennis legend.

While both Biles and Korda are relatively younger, American soccer player Megan Rapione's net worth at $5 million (via Celebrity Net Worth) is not only less than Williams but the 38-year-old Women's Soccer League representative is behind the golfer and gymnast as well.

Additionally, Rapinoe's on-field career earnings come down to $0.7 million, less compared to both Serena Williams and her male counterparts.

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Comparing tennis and other sports: Highest-paid female athletes

Serena Williams, being a force to be reckoned with within the tennis fraternity, enjoys the kind of respect and success that places her ahead of other WTA players.

However, if one tries to make comparisons in general, tennis players dominate discussions pertaining to pay, and hence, career earnings and net worth.

As per the Forbes list of the World's Highest Paid Female Athletes of 2023 led by Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, 12 out of the 20 athletes are tennis players and occupy nine spaces within the top 10 of the list.

While this has a lot to do with the fact that the WTA compensates its players a lot more compared to the governing bodies of other sports if one considers Serena Williams to be the benchmark, even a tennis player would be required to work hard to reach that stage in their careers consistently.

On the other hand, sportspeople like Megan Rapinoe, despite enjoying excellence and success in their field and being associated with brands such as Nike, Victoria Secret amongst others, are well behind Williams.

Similarly, while players like Korda and Biles are more than a decade younger than Williams and have a lot more time to earn both on and off the field, it is hard to determine whether they can match up to the former World No.1 anytime soon.

Nevertheless, it would not be wrong to conclude that both within the realm of tennis and outside of it, despite having hung her racquets, Serena Williams continues to dominate the world of sports, leaving behind a legacy hard to be matched up to.