Finally! Serena Williams is Officially the Highest Paid Female Athlete

WRITTEN BY: Sheena Mashore

The wait is finally over for Serena Williams to get her well-deserved paid day. Serena Williams has dominated women’s tennis throughout her career. She has always been an exciting player to keep your eye on. As an African-American playing a European sport, Serena has always been under the microscope. In the 1999 US Open, she became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title. She went on to win 21 additional Grand Slam titles and the highest earning cash prize of $77,482,978 this year.

For the past 11 years, Maria Sharapova held the title for the highest earning female athlete. Maria has attracted outside endorsements for sportswear, sports cars, watches, cosmetics and filtered spring water. Lately, Maria has been in the headlines for controversial reasons. She recently failed a drug test, which led to her losing endorsements.

Serena Williams has finally eclipsed Sharapova as the highest paid woman in the world of sports with earnings of $28.9 million in the past 12 months. Endorsements account for $20 million of that sum. Serena Williams and Stephen Curry are a part of the JPMorgan Chase “Chase Mastery” Campaign. According to Forbes, Serena’s late-career tear has made her a compelling figure for marketers. She ranks second, behind only LeBron James in the U.S.

Congratulations Serena, we all know you deserve it!