Coco Gauff earned a record $3 million for winning the US Open title in September. That achievement, coupled with a robust endorsement portfolio that's only grown over the last 12 months, has made the American teenager the world's highest-paid female athlete according to American sports media company Sportico.
Gauff's $22.7 million in combined earnings in 2023 put her on the top of the annual list for the first time, in what was another lucrative year for female tennis players. Seven of the Top 10 earners this year were tennis players, and nine landed in the Top 15 in total.
Delray Beach, Fla. resident Gauff was one of three athletes who cracked $20 million or more in earnings, with her New York winner's purse fittingly making up nearly half of her $6.7 million on-court total. In 2023, the US Open celebrated 50 years of equal prize money for women and men at the tournament, and Gauff's record sum won thanks to her three-set victory over Aryna Sabalenka on Sept. 9 was the same amount taken home by men's champion Novak Djokovic.
Iga Swiatek, the year-end world No. 1 and 2022 US Open champion, landed just behind Gauff with earnings of $21.9 million, nearly $11 million of which came from her prize money, and skier Eileen Gu rounded out the trio with an even $20 million.
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, two-time Open winner Naomi Osaka, Sabalenka, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula landed in the fourth through eighth spots in the Top 10, while two more former New York finalists, Leylah Fernandez and Ons Jabeur, ranked No. 13 and No. 15, respectively.
Raducanu, who played only five tournaments in 2023 before undergoing two wrist and ankle surgeries, and Osaka, who missed all of the season as a result of her pregnancy, were buoyed in the list by their off-court endorsement total.
