Maria Sharapova is the highest paid sportswoman in the world

 

Her glamour has helped to make the Russian tennis player the richest woman in world sport

Seven of the 10 richest sportswomen in the world during the past year, according to Forbes, were tennis players, with Maria Sharapova top of the list with earnings of $29m (£18.9m).

The Russian’s endorsements of $23m dwarfed the $6m she collected in prize-money for a 12-month period ending in June of this year.

Much of her income came from sportswear manufacturers Head and Nike, while the 26-year-old has also launched her own brand of sweets called Sugarpova.

Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes 2013:

1 Maria Sharapova
2 Serena Williams
3 Li Na
4 Victoria Azarenka
5 Danica Patrick
6 Kim Yuna
7 Caroline Wozniacki
8 Agnieszka Radwanska
9 Ana Ivanovic
10 Paula Creamer

Second in the list of leading female earners was Serena Williams of the United States ($20.5m), followed by China’s Li Na ($18.2m) and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ($15.7m).

Other tennis players in the top 10 are Caroline Wozniacki ($13.6m), Agnieszka Radwanska ($7.4m) and Ana Ivanovic ($7m).

The only three non-tennis players in the women’s top-10 are American Nascar driver Danica Patrick ($15m), South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna ($14m) and US golfer Paula Creamer ($5.5m).

Counterparts

Sharapova earned more than male tennis counterparts Novak Djokovic ($26.9m) and Rafa Nadal ($26.4m).

However, her yearly earnings were bettered by 21 men, with American golfer Tiger Woods the highest paid athlete on the planet with $78.1m of which $65m came from endorsements.

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer ($71.5m) is second followed by American bastkeball player Kobe Bryant ($61.9m).