Top 7 Highest Paid Female Athletes in 2010

Posted by victorcorreia on Dec 31, 2010 in People, Sport | 8 comments

After all It wouldn’t be fair that, after publishing the Top 7 Highest Paid Athletes in 2010, we wouldn’t talk about the ladies on this matter. Here we have the highest paid female athletes in 2010:

1. Maria Sharapova

Sport: Tennis

Country: Russia

Income: $24.5 million

Age: 23

The top-paid woman in sports signed an eight-year contract extension with Nike this year that could be worth as much as $70 million, thanks to royalties from her own tennis line and a line of bags and shoes through Nike subsidiary Cole Haan.

2. Serena Williams

Sport: Tennis

Country: USA

Income: $20.2 million

Age: 28

Williams won two Grand Slams and a record $6.5 million in prize money in 2009. Last August Williams and sister Venus became minority owners in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

3. Venus Williams

Sport: Tennis

Country: USA

Income: $15.4 million

Age: 30

Williams pitches for Oreo, Powerade, Tide and Wilson, among others. She co-authored the book, “Come to Win,” released in July, which looks at successful people who played sports as kids, including Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, Jack Welch and Meg Whitman.

4. Danica Patrick

Sport: Car Racing

Country: USA

Income: $12 million

Age: 28

Patrick’s part-time move to Nascar has been a bit bumpy, as her average finish was 30.5 in her first six starts. She remains one of racing’s biggest stars with 10 personal sponsorship deals.

5. Kim Yu-Na

Sport: Figure skating

Country: South Korea

Income: $9.7 million

Age: 19

The 2010 Olympic gold medalist has an impressive endorsement portfolio including Hyundai, Nike and Samsung Electronics. Her sponsor, Kookmin Bank, took out insurance on its $1 million bonus if Kim broke her world-record score at the Olympics. She smashed it.

6. Annika Sorenstam

Sport: Golf

Country: Sweden

Income: $8 million

Age: 39

The eight-time player of the year retired from the LPGA at the end of 2008, but still retains deals with the likes of Callaway, Cutter & Buck, Lexus and Rolex. Other business interests include golf course design, a golf academy and a winery.

7. Ana Ivanovic

Sport:Tennis

Country: Serbia

Income: $7.2 million

Age: 22

Adidas announced a lifetime deal in February with the former No. 1-ranked player in the world. Ivanovic has struggled on the court since winning the 2008 French Open, but her website remains one of the most popular among all athletes.