Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Serena passes suspended Sharapova as top woman earner

June 07, 2016 09:18 IST

IMAGE: World No.1 Serena Williams Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters.

Serena Williams may have been second best at the French Open on Saturday but the American has moved ahead of fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova to top the women's earnings list in sports, according to Forbes Magazine.

Williams ended the Russian's 11-year reign as the world number one women's money earner in sports by hauling in $28.9 million in combined prize money and off-field earnings over the past 12 months, the magazine said on Monday.

Sharapova, who lost some sponsorship money after announcing she had tested positive for the recently banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open in January and is provisionally suspended, holds second spot at $21.9 million.

IMAGE: Tennis star Maria Sharapova addresses the media regarding a failed drug test . Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

American mixed martial arts standout Ronda Rousey shot up to third on the list at $14 million from eighth place and $6.5 million, just ahead of compatriot and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, who earned $13.9 million, according to www.forbes.com.

The rest of the women's top 10 were also tennis players.

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska ranked fifth at $10.2 million followed by Dane Caroline Wozniacki ($8 million), Spain's newly-crowned French Open champion Garbine Muguruza ($7.6 million), Serb Ana Ivanovic ($7.4 million), Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ($6.6) and Canada's Eugenie Bouchard ($6.2 million).

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.