Tennis players are amongst the wealthiest sports people on the planet, with a single Grand Slam title earning you well in excess of £2 million - and there are four of them every year, before you even start on the still-lucrative smaller tournaments.
It’s also one of the few sports to offer similar fiscal rewards to both male and female players - with all the major titles now offering equal money (although Wimbledon didn’t until 2007, decades after the US Open in 1973).
That means that women are right up there with the men when it comes to earning potential - sadly something that can’t be said for many sports.
Add in money-spinning advertising and sponsorship deals, personal appearances and shrewd investments, and these court heroes can become fabulously wealthy.
Here are the top 13 richest female tennis stars in the world in 2024, according to CelebrityNetWorth.
![Taking top spot, with a fortune of around $300 million, is American Serena Williams. The greatest female player of all time, she has won 23 major tournaments and is the only player in history to complete a career Golden Slam (winning all four majors and the Olympic gold medal) in both singles and doubles.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/04/9/29/GettyImages-632890908.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
1. Serena Williams
Taking top spot, with a fortune of around $300 million, is American Serena Williams. The greatest female player of all time, she has won 23 major tournaments and is the only player in history to complete a career Golden Slam (winning all four majors and the Olympic gold medal) in both singles and doubles. | AFP via Getty Images
![Maria Sharapova may have only been ranked world number one for the comparatively short time of 21 weeks, winning five Grand Slams, but her large number of endorsements have earned her far more than her success on the court - meaning she's worth around $180 million. Companies to have paid her millions include Motorola, Land Rover, Canon, Tag Heuer and Tiffany.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/04/9/59/GettyImages-71835738.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
2. Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova may have only been ranked world number one for the comparatively short time of 21 weeks, winning five Grand Slams, but her large number of endorsements have earned her far more than her success on the court - meaning she's worth around $180 million. Companies to have paid her millions include Motorola, Land Rover, Canon, Tag Heuer and Tiffany. | Getty Images
![Ranked world number one for a record 377 weeks, Germany's Steffi Graf has earned a fortune estimated at $145 million. In 1988 she became the first player to complete the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. She is the only player to have won each major singles tournament at least four times.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/04/9/02/GettyImages-1406678027.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
3. Steffi Graf
Ranked world number one for a record 377 weeks, Germany's Steffi Graf has earned a fortune estimated at $145 million. In 1988 she became the first player to complete the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. She is the only player to have won each major singles tournament at least four times. | United Archives via Getty Images
![While she can't match the success - both financial and on-court - of her sister Serena, Venus William is still one of the best players to take to a tennis court. She's been a world number one in both singles and doubles and has won seven Grand Slams including five Wimbledon titles. She has an estimated net worth of $95 million.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/04/9/40/GettyImages-75260028.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
4. Venus Williams
While she can't match the success - both financial and on-court - of her sister Serena, Venus William is still one of the best players to take to a tennis court. She's been a world number one in both singles and doubles and has won seven Grand Slams including five Wimbledon titles. She has an estimated net worth of $95 million. | Getty Images