Maria Sharapova Retains Top Spot as Highest Paid Female Athlete

Teniis star Maria Sharapova has retained her position as the highest-paid female athlete for the 10th consecutive year, according to Forbes magazine.

The Russia athlete secured $24.4 million in endorsements and prize money between June 2013 and June 2014.

Sharapova, who suffered an injury-hit season, took home only $2.4 million in tournament winnings over the 12-month period — almost $4 million less than in the previous year, Forbes said Wednesday.

But she made up for that with a number of lucrative endorsements, which totaled $22 million, including deals with athletic wear manufacturer Nike, watchmaker Tag Heuer and carmaker Porsche.

Meanwhile, Sharapova’s $1 million annual deal with cosmetics company Avon helped offset a loss of earnings when Nike in November sold shoemaker Cole Haan, from which she had received significant royalties on a best-selling line, Forbes said.

Sharapova, who was born in Russia but lives and trains in the U.S., was joined by no less than six other tennis players in the Forbes top-10 list.

Chinese star Li Na — whose marketing value has soared since 2011, when she became the first Asian-born star to win a Grand Slam — pulled in a total $23.6 million last year, Forbes said. Li has endorsement deals with Nike, technology giant Samsung and a number of Chinese companies among others.

Sharapova’s fierce U.S. rival, Serena Williams, who took home five times more in tournament earnings than Sharapova did in 2014, pulled in an estimated $22 million in total — placing her third on the list.

Check Out Forbes Top Ten below:

Name	Rank	Sport	Prize Money	Endorsements	Total Earnings
Maria Sharapova	1	Tennis	$2.4 million	$22 million	$24.4 million
Li Na	2	Tennis	$5.6 million	$18 million	$23.6 million
Serena Williams	3	Tennis	$11 million	$11 million	$22 million
Kim Yuna	4	Figure Skating	$300,000	$16 million	$16.3 million
Danica Patick	5	NASCAR	$7 million	$8 million	$15 million
Victoria Azarenka	6	Tennis	$3.6 million	$7.5 million	$11.1 million
Carolina Wozniacki	7	Tennis	$1.3 million	$9.5 million	$10.8 million
Agnieszka Radwanska	8	Tennis	$3.8 million	$3.0 million	$6.8 million
Ana Ivanovic	9	Tennis	$1.4 million	$5.0 million	$6.4 million
Paula Creamer	10	Golf	$1.0 million	$4.5 million	$5.5 million

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