09 December 2023 , 13:00
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Coco Gauff has outshone stars like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka to be named the highest-paid female athlete of 2023.
The young American claimed her first major title at the US Open in September, which led to a windfall from her existing sponsorship deals. It also attracted a wave of new lucrative tie-ups, with Gauff becoming an endorsement darling.
For years, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, both now retired, held the title of highest-paid female athlete. But with Osaka taking a break from tennis for her daughter's birth, Gauff took the top spot, narrowly beating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Olympic skier Eileen Gu. In 2023, Gauff raked in an estimated £17.4 million from prize money and endorsements.
By her 15th birthday, Gauff had already bagged multiyear deals with racket maker Head, Italian pasta giant Barilla, and New Balance. Her US Open victory not only netted her £2.3m, but also triggered hefty bonuses from these sponsors.
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Since her win, Gauff has bagged big-money deals with Bose, UPS, and accounting firm Baker Tilly. She also has a lucrative deal with Rolex, while she took part in campaigns for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and The Marvels movie following her maiden Grand Slam title win.
Endorsements outweigh prize winnings for every entry on the list, but no woman took home more money via sponsorship than Gu. A sophomore at Stanford, Gu is a marketing tour de force thanks to her Chinese heritage; while she grew up in San Francsico, she started competing for China in 2019 in honour of her mother.
She partnered with over 20 brands ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and her face was scattered across billboards in China while she appeared on the covers of the Chinese editions of InStyle, Marie Claire and Vogue. Gu has deals with Anta, Red Bull, Louis Vuitton, Victoria's Secret, IWC and Tiffany - and she even walked for Bosideng at Milan Fashion Week in September.
No sportswoman made more money from endorsements than Eileen Gu in 2023 (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)Gauff and Gu are the youngest among the top earners, and only iconic soccer duo Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe are aged 30 or older on the list. The top 15 earned a combined $174 million, with a decrease of 19 percent from 2022 following the retirement of Williams as well as Osaka's time off.
Tennis players continue to dominate the top of the list, holding nine of the 15 spots among the highest-paid female athletes. Soccer and skiing (two each) are next alongside single athletes from golf (Nelly Korda) and gymnastics (Biles).
Here's a rundown of the top 15 highest-earning female athletes in 2023:
Coco Gauff: £18.1 million [Prize money: £5.3 million; Endorsements: £12.8 million]
Iga Swiatek: £17.5 million [Prize money: £7.9 million; Endorsements: £9.7 million]
Eileen Gu: £15.9 million [Prize money: £21,500; Endorsements: £15.9 million]
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Emma Raducanu: £12.9 million [Prize money: £189,600; Endorsements: £12.8 million]
Naomi Osaka: £12 million [Prize money: £0; Endorsements: £12 million]
Aryna Sabalenka: £9.7 million [Prize money: £6.5 million; Endorsements: £3.2 million]
Elena Rybakina: £7.6 million [Prize money: £4.8 million; Endorsements: £2.8 million]
Jessica Pegula: £7.2 million [Prize money: £4.8 million; Endorsements: £2.4 million]
Simone Biles: £6.8 million [Prize money: £0 million; Endorsements: £6.8 million]
Nelly Korda: £6.3 million [Prize money: £1.1 million; Endorsements: £5.2 million]
Alex Morgan: £5.5 million [Prize money: £677,200; Endorsements: £4.8 million]
Megan Rapinoe: £5.4 million [Prize money: £597,500; Endorsements: £3.2 million]
Leylah Fernandez: £4.9 million [Prize money: £880,000; Endorsements: £4 million]
Mikaela Shiffrin: £4.9 million [Prize money: £880,000; Endorsements: £4 million]
Ons Jabeur: £4.6 million [Prize money: £2.6 million; Endorsements: £2 million]
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.