An unprecedented feat marks the world of tennis: women now make up the majority of the list of athletes with the highest earnings in the last twelve months. According to a Forbes survey, six female tennis players appear in the top-10 of income, accumulating a total of US$333 million (equivalent to R$1.7 billion) throughout the year, including championship prizes and advertising contracts.
Despite this female majority on the general list, the first two places are filled by Jannik Sinner, from Italy – current number 1 in the world rankings, who is out of the US Open due to an injury to his right knee – and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who returns to the Grand Slam in New York after four months recovering from a problem with his right wrist, as determined on August 31, 2026.
The renowned Serena Williams appears in third place in the ranking, with total earnings of R$207.7 million. Of this amount, only R$518,000 came from prizes for his performance in four tournaments: Queen’s, Berlin, Wimbledon and the mixed doubles at the US Open. His biggest source of income was advertising, totaling R$207.2 million, the highest value among all ten athletes in the Forbes list. In addition to her, five other women make up the group of the ten highest paid: Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, leader of the WTA ranking, who occupies fourth place with R$186.9 million; the North American Coco Gauff, in fifth, with R$ 183.8 million; the Chinese Qinwen Zheng, seventh, with R$117 million; the Polish Iga Swiatek, in eighth place, with R$106.1 million; and Kazakh Elena Rybakina, in tenth, with R$90.1 million.
Ranking of tennis players with the highest global income
| Position and Player | Total Raised | On the Court | Off the Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Jannik Sinner (ITA) | US$58 million(R$ 300.4 million) | US$ 23 million(R$ 119.1 million) | US$35 million(R$ 181.3 million) |
| 2nd Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) | US$53.7 million(R$ 278.1 million) | US$ 15.7 million(R$ 81.3 million) | US$38 million(R$ 196.8 million) |
| 3rd Serena Williams (USA) | US$40.1 million(R$ 207.7 million) | US$ 100 thousand(R$518 thousand) | US$40 million(R$ 207.2 million) |
| 4th Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | US$36.1 million(R$ 186.9 million) | US$ 13.1 million(R$ 67.8 million) | US$ 23 million(R$ 119.1 million) |
| 5th Coco Gauff (USA) | US$35.5 million(R$ 183.8 million) | US$7.5 million(R$ 38.8 million) | US$ 28 million(R$ 145 million) |
| 6th Novak Djokovic (SER) | US$30.2 million(R$ 156.4 million) | US$5.2 million(R$ 26.9 million) | US$ 25 million(R$ 129.5 million) |
| 7th Qinwen Zheng (CHN) | US$ 22.6 million(R$ 117 million) | US$600 thousand(R$ 3.1 million) | US$ 22 million(R$ 113.9 million) |
| 8th Iga Swiatek (POL) | US$ 20.5 million(R$ 106.1 million) | US$5.5 million(R$ 29.9 million) | US$ 15 million(R$ 77.7 million) |
| 9th Alexander Zverev (ALE) | US$ 18.7 million(R$ 96.8 million) | US$ 13.7 million(R$ 70.9 million) | US$ 5 million(R$ 25.9 million) |
| 10th Elena Rybakina (CAZ) | US$ 17.4 million(R$ 90.1 million) | US$ 11.4 million(R$ 59 million) | US$6 million(R$ 31.1 million) |
Source: Forbes
With regard to male athletes, in addition to the top positions of Sinner and Alcaraz, Serbian Novak Djokovic appears in sixth place, recording a total of R$156.4 million. German Alexander Zverev, in turn, is in ninth place with R$96.8 million, and stands out for having the lowest advertising revenue among the ten names on the list, with R$25.9 million.
Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, leads the group of ten in terms of prizes won in tournaments, totaling R$119.1 million. During the year, the Italian tennis player was victorious in six major events: a Grand Slam, Wimbledon, and five Masters 1000 (Indian Wells, Miami, Montecarlo, Madrid and Rome). His income of US$23 million in championship prizes sets a new all-time record for a tennis player.
With the recent update, Sinner becomes the fourth tennis player to top the Forbes ranking, surpassing Carlos Alcaraz, who had led the billing in the previous two years. It is worth mentioning that Alcaraz’s absence from the court for four months due to an injury prevented him from participating and collecting awards. Before them, Swiss Roger Federer held the lead on this list for fifteen consecutive seasons, until his retirement in 2022.
