Top-100 Women’s Tennis Players in Career WTA Earnings

Women’s tennis has been dominated by the Williams sisters since the 2000s. For over two decades, Serena and Venus Williams have taken their turn at No.1, racking up over $136 million in combined career earnings on the WTA Tour.

With over $94 million in prize money, Serena Williams is the highest-paid women’s tennis player of all time. While she has 23 Grand Slam titles to back that up, her sister, Venus, is the second highest-paid tennis player with $42 million in career WTA earnings.

After Serena, the WTA prize money list drops off dramatically with Venus, and Simona Halep ($38 million) rounding out the top three.

Read on to learn more about the top tennis players in career WTA earnings and where they rank on the WTA prize money list.

The Top-10 Highest Paid Women’s Tennis Players Ever

When it comes to women’s tennis, most people associate Serena Williams as the greatest female tennis player of all time.

Not only did she dominate the circuit during the Open Era with 23 Grand Slam wins, but Williams is also by far the highest-paid women’s tennis player ever. In fact, she sits fourth overall on the list of highest-paid tennis players ever, regardless of gender.

In addition to her singles’ success, Serena also did damage with her sister, Venus, on the doubles circuit, which helped both of them ascend to the top of the WTA prize money list.

After Venus, there are a few active female players that are on the list, including Simona Halep, who ranks third all-time at the age of 30.

Since the ATP and WTA didn’t start paying equal amounts in prize money until 2007, some accomplished women’s tennis players, including Steffi Graf, failed to make the top-10 list in career earnings.

Below, we’ll break down the top 10 highest-paid women’s tennis players of all time.

1. Serena Williams — $94,524,403

The best women’s tennis player of all time, Serena Williams leads the WTA earnings list as the highest-paid player ever.

Williams has 23 Grand Slam titles, the most by any player in the Open Era. She has been ranked the world No.1 for 319 weeks during her career, including 186 consecutive weeks, which is a joint record.

With $94,524,403 in WTA earnings, Williams has made more money on the tennis court than any other female that has ever played the game.

2. Venus Williams — $42,280,540

A former No.1 player in both women’s singles and doubles, Venus is Serena’s older sister and was the first Williams to make her mark on the WTA tour.

She turned pro in 1994 and reached her first major final three years later at the 1997 US Open.

In 2000, Williams finally broke through and captured her first two major championships at the US Open and Wimbledon. That year, Venus also won the 2000 Olympic Gold medals in women’s singles tennis.

With seven grand slam singles titles, Williams has earned a cool $42,280,540 during her WTA career, second only to her sister.

3. Simona Halep — $38,973,074

Simona Halep was ranked within the top 10 for 373 consecutive weeks from 2014 to 2021, marking the eighth-longest streak in WTA history.

She never dropped below fourth in the rankings during that seven-year span, which helped her amass quite a substantial sum on the tennis court.

At just age 30, Halep has 23 WTA Tour singles titles and two grand slam championships, making her a prime candidate to continue to climb up the list.

After the Williams sisters, Halep is next on the list of the highest-paid female tennis players ever with $38,973,074 in earnings.

4. Maria Sharapova — $38,777,962

A former No.1 women’s tennis player, Maria Sharapova spent 21 weeks ranked as the top player in the world in 2005.

She is just 1 out of 10 female tennis players to ever complete a career Grand Slam.

In total, Sharapova has 36 titles, including a Tour final and five major championships. She retired in 2020 with $38,777,962 in career earnings from the WTA, good for fourth all-time.

5. Caroline Wozniacki — $35,233,415

One of the best defensive female tennis players in the Open Era, Carolina Wozniacki ended her career with 30 WTA singles titles.

Wozniacki was the first Danish player to ever win a Grand Slam in 2018 at the Australian Open.

Throughout her career, Wozniacki has managed to earn $35,233,415. She sits fifth on the all-time highest-paid women’s tennis players.

6. Victoria Azarenka — $34,449,618

Another former world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka is the first Belarusian tennis player to ever win a Grand Slam tournament.

Azarenka won back-to-back Australian Opens in 2012 and 2013. She was also a three-time finalist at the US Open and won 21 WTA singles titles during her career.

The Belarusian tennis player has earned an estimated $34,449,618 to date on the WTA Tour.

7. Petra Kvitova — $34,038,675

The winner of 29 WTA singles titles and a two-time Wimbledon Champion, Petra Kvitova sits as the seventh highest-paid female tennis player of all time.

While she peaked at No.2 in the world rankings in October 2011, Kvitova was the first player born in the 1990s to ever win a major championship.

Kvitova has earned $34,038,675 in her career so far.

8. Angelique Kerber — $31,731,652

Angelique Kerber broke out in 2011 after reaching the US Open semifinals as the 92 ranked player in the world.

Since then, she’s won 14 WTA Tour titles, including three major championships. While she missed the French Open to finish off the career Grand Slam, Kerber has advanced to the quarterfinal twice at Roland-Garros in 2012 and 2018.

The 34-year-old tennis player has earned $31,725,452 in her career, good for eighth in all-time earnings on the WTA Tour.

9. Agnieszka Radwanska — $27,683,807

While she’s never won a Grand Slam, Agnieszka Radwanska was known for her spatial awareness and ability to make intelligent use of the court.

In her career, she’s won 20 career singles titles, two doubles titles, and won the WTA Finals in 2015.

She sits ninth in all-time career earnings on the women’s circuit at $27,683,807.

10. Svetlana Kuznetsova —$25,816,890

A singles and doubles Grand Slam winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova sits 10th on the list with $25,816,890 in prize money on the WTA Tour.

Kuznetsova turned pro in 2000 and has won 18 career titles over her 22-year career.

While she’s currently inactive, Kuznetsova has won the French Open in 2009 and US Open in 2004.

Top-100 WTA Tour Prize Money List