On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with Kurt Badenhausen about his recent list of the 15 highest-paid female athletes in the world.

Tennis star Coco Gauff tops the list at $30.4 million, followed by Olympic skier Eileen Gu ($22.1 million) and tennis player Iga Swiatek ($21.4 million). WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark is 10th at $11.1 million. There are five sports represented in the top 10–tennis, skiing, golf, gymnastics and basketball.

The hosts talk about the macro forces at work in women’s sports. Salaries and prize money are rising, particularly in individual sports like tennis and golf, and there are more marketing opportunities available to a wider number of female stars. Gauff’s total in 2024 isn’t much different from what Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova were making a decade ago at the height of their playing careers, but the totals are significantly higher now for anyone not ranked in the top three or five.

They also discuss a number of specific athletes. Gauff is winning more, but a large percentage of her on-court earnings come from a single event: the WTA Finals. Gu makes almost nothing from her skiing, but makes more from endorsements than any other female athlete in the world.

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen is another standout. She made $20.6 million in 2024, but that number is slated to grow dramatically in 2025. Her Olympics gold medal and continued success should unlock millions in endorsement deals in the world’s second-most populous country.

They close by discussing Clark in more depth. The WNBA rookie sensation made just $76,000 in salary last year–and was not eligible for a lot of the extra WNBA cash that would have dramatically increased her paycheck. She did, however, make $11+ million off the court, a number that will only grow in the coming years.

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