Maria Sharapova vs Serena Williams vs Venus Williams: Which tennis legend has the highest net worth?

Serena Williams, her sister Venus, and Maria Sharapova played a crucial role in shaping women’s tennis over the last two decades, making them three of the most successful female athletes of all time. However, their journeys are marked not only by their multiple on-court accomplishments, but also by the wealth they have accumulated through their off-court pursuits.

Serena has 23 Grand Slams to her name in the singles category, the second-most of all time. Her sister Venus won seven majors. Additionally, the two teamed up as doubles partners on multiple occasions and won 14 Grand Slams together. Maria Sharapova, meanwhile, won five Grand Slam titles and an Olympic medal, something that she has in common with the Williams sisters.

While these tennis stars have earned a lot through their glorious careers, their brand deals and off-court appearances owing to the star status attached to their names has also helped them acquire a great deal of earnings.

In continuation with the same, let's analyze the individual net worth of each of these tennis stars.

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#3 Venus Williams

Venus Williams at the 2017 U.S. Open (Image via Getty)

Venus Williams acquired the World No.1 ranking in both singles and doubles at different points in her career and has seven Grand Slam singles titles and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles to her name.

She is easily regarded as one of the most successful tennis players of all time. Through her on-court achievements and off-court projects, she has amassed a net worth of $95 million, including $42.3 million in career earnings (Source: Celebrity Net Worth).

In addition to Reebok, she has been associated with several brands like American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Stitch Fix, Wilson, Tide, Kraft, Ralph Lauren, and Lacoste, among many others. Additionally, in 2007, she launched her own apparel line, EleVen, in 2007 adding further to her overall income.

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#2 Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova at a Sugarpova event in 2016 (Image via Getty)

Russian former tennis player Maria Sharapova started her professional career in 2001 and won five Grand Slam titles. She earned a Career Grand Slam in addition to 36 WTA titles.

Adding to her on-court success, she has had a range of endorsements to her name through which she currently holds an estimated net worth of $180 million (Source: Celebrity Net Worth) and earned $38,777,692 in prize money by the time she retired from the sport in 2020.

In terms of her earnings, what's especially noteworthy is that she ranked on Forbes’ list as the highest-paid female athlete for 11 years in a row until Serena Williams took over in 2016. Despite her retirement, she continues to be a part of associated lists.

In addition to endorsements with brands like Nike, Evian, Therabody, and Porshe among others, the Russian launched her own premium candy business, Sugarpova, in 2012.

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#1 Serena Williams

American former tennis player Serena Williams practically dominated the international tennis scene in the women's category after debuting in the late 1990s. Through 23 Grand Slam titles, a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles, the American created multiple records that have made her one of the most successful sportspersons of all time.

She held the WTA World No.1 ranking for 319 weeks, second only to Steffi Graf who held the said ranking for a total of 377 weeks. She also won 73 WTA singles titles.

In terms of major titles, Williams leads all female tennis players, and since the start of her professional career, she has consistently ranked among the world’s richest athletes.

When she retired from tennis in 2022, she had earned nearly $95 million in prize money (Source: Marca) and currently has a net worth of $300 million (Source: Celebrity Net Worth), a sum that comes from numerous brand endorsements in addition to her on-court achievements.

She has a range of endorsements associated with her, including with brands like Nike, Kraft Foods, Gucci, Wilson Sporting Goods, Gatorade, Tonal, and AbbVie pharmaceuticals, among others. She's also active as an investor through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures and is a co-founder of a startup, Will Perform.

Adding to her numerous business ventures, Serena Williams launched a multimedia company Nine Two Six Productions in 2023 to expand her efforts as a producer and earlier this year, entered a licensing deal with Wyn Beauty cosmetics.