Move Over Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu, $21 Million Solidifies Chinese WTA Player as Tennis’ New Superstar
The tennis courts may have gone quiet for the season, but the buzz off-court is louder than ever! This time, it’s not about aces or match points—it’s all about the dollars. And just like the WTA rankings, the financial leaderboard has seen some surprising shake-ups. Stealing the spotlight? Chinese sensation Qinwen Zheng! In a jaw-dropping turn of events, she’s left big names like Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka in her rearview mirror with a remarkable financial milestone.
The list of the highest-paid female athletes for the year is out and the tennis stars have dominated the financial arena too. As per the data by Sportico, six of the top-10 highest-paid female athletes are WTA stars, and leading from the front is Coco Gauff, who became the highest-paid athlete with $30.4 Million. But in a massive achievement, Zheng has amassed an immense fortune and became the 4th highest-paid athlete.
The Chinese tennis sensation has garnered $20.6 Million in wealth leaving behind Osaka and Raducanu. Of this vast amount, a staggering $15 Million comes from her endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Lancome, Gatorade, Wilson, McDonald’s, Rolex, and more. Besides, her sensational performance on the courts which saw her win two titles this year (excluding the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics,) helped her garner $5.6 Million. This amount is way higher than Osaka and Raducanu.
Osaka, who amassed $15.9 Million throughout the year, has a majority of her fortune coming from brands like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Mastercard, and Panasonic, which make $15 Million of her total earnings, as against only $870K from prize money. This leaves her behind Zheng by almost $5 Million. Similarly, Raducanu could only manage to secure a $14.7 Million fortune this year of which only $671K comes from prize money, and her deals with brands like Dior, Tiffany & Co., and Porsche account for the rest. And the reason this data becomes more interesting is because of the scenario from the last year.
Highest-paid female athletes of 2024 via @Sportico
▪️ Top 15 earned $221M, up 27%
▪️ Coco Gauff the 3rd woman to crack $30M after Serena, Osaka
▪️ Top 15 includes 9 tennis players
▪️ Newcomers in top 10: Caitlin Clark, Zheng QinwenFull breakdown: https://t.co/HLb5PT7FTr pic.twitter.com/NmlGw2ysX4
— Kurt Badenhausen (@kbadenhausen) December 4, 2024
For the unversed, Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka bagged the fourth and fifth positions in terms of highest-paid female athletes. While the Brit amassed $16.2 Million in 2023, her Japanese counterpart secured $15 Million. Interestingly, Zheng’s name was nowhere to be found in the list of the top 15 female athletes with the most earnings last year. Hence, this also depicts the remarkable career growth that she has witnessed this year. However, the journey was not a cakewalk for the Chinese star and involved a lot of financial hardships in her initial days.
When Qinwen Zheng painfully revealed her family’s financial hardships
Qinwen Zheng has become a formidable face on the tennis circuit and her latest financial achievement further solidifies her position. But Zheng witnessed immense economic struggles during her initial days and even had her house at stake, as revealed by the star player herself.
In an interview about the same after winning the Olympic gold medal, Zheng revealed, “When I was 14-15, my dad almost sold our house to fund my tennis lessons. He knew I had potential, and wanted to give all he could to realize my dream.” However, she highlighted that the success she witnessed recently definitely outshined her struggles.
“Yes no doubt, tennis frustrates me, makes me cry and question myself, however I have always believed that one day I will taste success, and the moment I clinched Gold in the Olympics, all the sacrifices were worth it,” Qinwen Zheng stated. For now, it would be interesting to see if Zheng can outshine more players and win more fortune in the upcoming season. But one thing is for sure: Qinwen is serving more than just forehands; she’s serving inspiration!
